As we are sure you are all now aware, there are many families who have been displaced by the current lava flow in the Puna district of Hawai’i. While this area of the island is well removed from Pacific Quest programs, PQ and The Foundation are committed to stewarding a healthy island community.
Building project in Puna
At Pacific Quest we teach that the foundation of any healthy community or family system is safe shelter and healthy food. We recently held a campaign where 100% of donations made to The Pacific Quest Foundation went to disaster relief for the residents affected by the volcanic activity.
Thanks to many generous donations we have been able to donate $11,000 to the continuing efforts to rehouse families and individuals displaced by lava!
These projects include building longer term shelter options that will house families out of tents and out of the rain while the state and federal governments continue to work on relief and long term housing and community development plans.
Additionally, these funds will help reunite evacuees with family members who can house them, where travel costs have been prohibitive.
Now we are working on the project of getting children back to school.
There are many school children and teachers who have been displaced by the lava and in some cases have lost everything. The loss of houses is now over 700. One school has lost all access to their facilities, while another is looking to address the mental health issues and trauma that is effecting the school population directly and indirectly in the shadow of this event.
Current fundraising will go to rental assistance to ensure the first school is housed for the year, as well as to developing and sustaining additional therapeutic services in the other.
We have already raised over $4000 through a peer to peer campaign and sponsorship for a long distance run our Executive Director and Alumni and Family Service Director will be completing in August.
If you missed our first campaign or would like to make an additional donation to this cause, we thank you!