Volunteers at Sacred Hearts Church in Kapalua, north of Lahaina Aug. 15 organize supplies shipped from Oahu by the Knights of Columbus and EPIC Ministry. (Courtesy photo)
By Jennifer Rector
Hawaii Catholic Herald
It has been a little more than a month since fires swept through the historic town of Lahaina. More than a hundred are confirmed dead. Thousands have lost their homes. Those left are survivors clinging to hope. Sometimes hope comes in the form of others. That’s the spirit EPIC Ministry is trying to provide in their mission to Maui.
EPIC — “Ever Present In Christ” — is an Oahu-based young adult group (ages 18-39) that focuses on empowering “young adults to follow Christ by spiritual, social, and service paths.” Its mission sprang into action as soon as it heard about the fires in Lahaina on Aug. 8-9.
They, along with the Knights of Columbus, were among the first to respond to the tragedy. That first weekend they were already shipping supplies from Oahu to Maui. Some of the first relief commodities were camping gear, clothes, food and diapers.
“We knew that action should be taken right away,” said Dallas Carter, president of EPIC Ministry. He connected with John Fielding, a Knight of Columbus and an important friend of EPIC. Since the roads to Lahaina were closed, Fielding chartered a boat.
The following week the organizations sent a second boat and a plane filled with supplies and volunteers.
“The first time was just more of the set up and distribution,” said Matt Copas, a member of EPIC on Oahu. They coordinated with parishioners at Sacred Hearts Church in Kapalua, and parishioners from Maria Lanakila in Lahaina. “We wanted to be there and help with whatever they needed.”
For the second shipment, EPIC had a better idea of what people needed.
“The second focus was to get the (parish) school up and running,” said Copas. There are about 230 kids enrolled in Sacred Hearts School.
Half of the school burned down in the fires. Administrators were not allowed to go back to retrieve any furniture or materials that had survived.
As funds poured in, EPIC was not wasting any time. They quickly supplied Sacred Hearts School with the furniture needed to create a pop-up school at Sacred Hearts mission church, nine miles north of Lahaina, unaffected by the fires. The delivery was made in time for the students’ return to class on Aug. 28. Students who had moved to the other side of the island were recommended to enroll in St. Anthony in Wailuku.
Carter said getting the school back up and running was crucial for students to have a sense of their old life back.
“It’s interesting how many students despise homework typically, but these kids want homework because it’s normal for them,” said Carter, who is the principal at St. Michael School in Waialua, Oahu. He said seeing students and teachers interact moved him.
“When the kids are leaving the school, all these little kids go up to the principal (Tonata Lolesio) and she gives them each a hug. Without any prompting many of the kids go to Tonata and say, ‘I love you,’ because her staff is the beacon of hope for these kids,” said Carter.
Carter and his teenage daughter also helped some high schoolers from Sacred Hearts School enroll to St. Michael’s online program to continue their education. After spending time with these students, Carter observes a harsh reality.
“I don’t know if words would be able to explain the heartbreak that these people have. I’m very concerned about the future of these children psychologically, because the trauma is not over yet,” said Carter.
While the overall death toll is still being determined, Sacred Hearts School reported that all its students and their immediate families survived.
Walking alongside
EPIC’s efforts do not stop there. Now, after several weeks, its focus has been less on the supplies and more on being a sympathetic ear to those affected.
“The key is listening to the community and not determining on our own what the people who are literally suffering need,” said Carter.
EPIC has set up a form for supplies on its website where people can request specific needs. They are also taking phone requests.
“Any requests that come in that are kind of specific or if we’re running low on toiletries or canned goods, I go out. What I’m doing now is more of the shopping,” said Pua Kaialiilii, the co-coordinator of EPIC’s Maui chapter. “Then we have a list of driver volunteers that are delivering the care packages.”
Carter says many of the victim’s needs are different day to day. Some days it’s water, other days it’s gas money to go grocery shopping. Gift cards have been a good way of providing relief in a speedy manner.
“Giving them money allows them to go to the grocery store themselves. This is not a pandemic; this is a tragic horrific natural disaster. Nevertheless, they need money to pay their bills,” said Carter.
EPIC has so far made deliveries to about 60 families. Kaialiilii said that some of the homes had more than 20 people living with families who were displaced. Some homes had family members camping in their backyards.
EPIC Ministry’s chartered relief boat arrives on Maui Aug. 15 with the first shipment of goods for people affected by the Lahaina fire. (Courtesy photo)
Building bridges
Johana Copas, Matt’s wife, a member of EPIC from Oahu, is of Mexican descent and speaks Spanish fluently. She has been volunteering in Maui along with Matt. After several visits to the island, she has helped members of the Hispanic community get what they need.
She found that many hesitate to receive help because of their legal status or the language barrier. But this does not deter her.
“It’s important for me to go every week or every other week. I need to establish that rapport with them so I can continue to reassure them that EPIC is here to help.” said Johana. “There’s so many in need.”
For the Copas family, helping others is a way of life. “This is how you act in faith. You become the hands and feet of Christ,” said Johana.
Witness to trauma
With listening comes an endless trail of heartbreaking stories. Many people who were affected have shared their situations and what they’ve witnessed with EPIC.
“I heard a story that this one mother was in Lahaina with her three-month-old and her seven-year-old son. She found a first responder, and she handed off her baby to him. All she had time to say was ‘last name Ramos,’ and she had to jump into the water with her son,” said Kaialiilii.
It’s not clear what happened to that mother and her children, but it is clear that the trauma lingers.
“There are really no words,” she said. “You listen to these people’s stories, and you just cannot relate in any way. They’ve lost everything. Some of the stories you hear, you can’t really prepare for that. It’s heavy, but it’s part of people telling their story. It’s part of them processing what happened to them.”
Aside from supporting people through EPIC, Kaialiilii, herself a teacher, has students at her school who lost everything. She offers them supplies. It makes her realize that the road to recovery will be a long one.
“When somebody asks, ‘Are you okay? How are you doing?’ even if you’re going through something, you are kind of like, ‘I am okay, I’m good.’ But you can see that when you talk to somebody from Lahaina they’re not doing well,” said Kaialiilii.
Story after story, Kaialiilii said despite the sorrow, these people find hope through each other and through their faith.
“Prayer is just so important because for a lot of situations that is all we have. That’s the one thing that didn’t burn down in the fire — our faith and being able to lean on our God.” said Kaialiilii.
It is that faith and hope that has sprung out of the ashes. Carter says though EPIC is lending a helping hand, it’s unbelievable to witness how much more the communities of Maui have been there for one another.
“The people of Maui are taking care of themselves. EPIC is simply going in, listening to the community and supplying what we can,” said Carter.
Moving Forward
EPIC continues to find ways every day to help the people of Maui. Some from Lahaina have scattered to different parts of the island and with them also their needs.
EPIC is also offering businesses financial aid to help recover at least a bit of what was lost in the flames. Carter said they can’t offer much but it’s a step in the right direction.
“We are meeting various business owners from Lahaina that lost their businesses and we’re giving them small grants to just get started again.” said Carter.
Kaialiilii said she will continue to help as the request comes. Many of the EPIC members living in Maui are working from one garage. She says no matter how small the request they are doing what they can to help.
Carter said it’s people like Kaialiilii and those who live in Maui that are making the difference.
“Though they did need support from us, they were the ones that are the true leaders on the ground showing us where their help is needed, where their aid is needed, and guiding us to do what we can do that best serve them,” said Carter.
EPIC has been able to distribute $100,000 in aid. A big majority of the donations are made possible thanks to organizations like Knights of Columbus and the Vulnerable People Project.
For more information, visit: www.epicministry.net/maui-relief.html.
