‘Kokua’: Las Vegas shows selfless help for victims of fires in Maui

Clothing, toiletries, cases of water, nonperishable food and first-aid kits lined two walls of a south Las Vegas Hawaiian eatery.

The materials intended for survivors of wildfires that ravaged the island of Maui — killing at least 67 victims and devastating the town of Lahaina — kept stacking up Thursday afternoon.

Jeff Medina and his friends learned online that 2 Scoops of Aloha Las Vegas Drive Inn was accepting donations.

“I knew right away, after I picked up my kids from school today, we’re going to go to the store, buy some stuff and bring it down here,” Medina said.

His two young kids helped him carry in some of the essential goods.

Medina, newly retired from the military, was raised in Maui. He said the feeling of concern over the fires was heightened when he initially couldn’t get ahold of his loved ones.

“I’m just happy my family is safe, but it’s still sad that there was a lot of people that got injured,” he said. “And when I heard that there was some deaths, that hit me hard.”

Hawaii’s ‘Ninth Island’

Shai Walter, owner of 2 Scoops of Aloha — which she operates with her family — is a native of Oahu. She’s part of a collective of local Hawaiian businesses that organized the donations.

Walter said they intend to ship the goods to Maui in a crate as early as Saturday.

But on Thursday, she spoke about the intertwined spirits of ohana, or family, and kokua, selfless help.

“It’s a big community,” she said about the more than 20,000 Hawaii natives and other Pacific Islanders who call Clark County home, many because of a more affordable cost of living.

So many call Las Vegas home that it is referred to as the “Ninth Island.”

“I could not even speak today without sending our prayers and our passions to Hawaii, to Lahaina, Maui,” Mayor Carolyn Goodman said during an unrelated event Thursday morning.

Walter noted that it’s her family’s nature to help.

“We want that feel, we want that ohana,” she said. “We want to help out everyone, and I know everyone is here to help out those in need.”

Feeling of sadness

During a two-hour period Thursday afternoon, donations kept arriving every few minutes.

A cargo truck then arrived to pick them up.

“I didn’t know it was going to be to this extent,” she said.

Emory Nihipali — affectionately known as “Island Emory” — hosts the KUNV 91.5 FM “Little Grass Shack” radio show, which he founded nearly a quarter-century ago.

“This feeling of sadness,” he said, “is still a lot to take in.”

Nihipali was just returning from his native Maui a week ago, having attended a funeral.

“I hate attending funerals,” he said, but compared his time there to visiting “paradise.”

During his Sunday show, his airwaves typically occupied with Hawaiian music, will instead carry the voices of guests Nihipali will host to discuss the situation back home and ways to help.

“We want to do a little bit of both,” he said. “Music will soothe people’s soul. … When you listen to music, you think of paradise.”

Those wishing to donate to relief efforts can do so with the American Red Cross, the Hawaii Community Foundation and United Way.

Some of the local businesses collecting donations include 2 Scoops of Aloha, Honors Brand, 9th Island Kava and Generations Kitchen.

Boyd Gaming announced on social media that they, along with the California Hotel and Casino and Vacations Hawaii will contribute $100,000 to American Red Cross relief efforts in Maui.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @rickytwrites.