HONOLULU (KHON2) — Thousands of people around the world, especially here in Hawaii, immediately heeded the call for help after the fires, raising hundreds of millions of dollars. So where did the money go?

In the immediate aftermath of Maui’s devastating wildfires last August, help started pouring in and that included heartfelt donations of whatever people across Hawaii and the world could afford. It added up quickly.

Micah Kane, president and CEO of the Hawaii Community Foundation, revealed nearly $200 million was raised for Lahaina.

The Hawaii Community Foundation instantly teed up existing island-specific fundraising that started back in 2018.

“We started strong funds in each of the counties,” said Kane. “A lot of our resources are going towards shelter and lodging. Over $50 million just in housing alone. Direct financial assistance, which really helps with filling gaps allowing families to put the resources where needed, over $25 million there.”

Once the fires hit, the Maui Strong Fund we know today was already set up to coordinate donation intake and grant output to help the community.

Just over half of the money raised was distributed — $110 million through 200 community organizations.

The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement is one of Maui Strong Fund’s biggest nonprofit recipients, plus received thousands of direct donations as well.

“CNHA has raised around $40 million. We’ve spent just over $15 million on building homes, and we’ve probably spent another five or six [million] on rental programs to help families stabilize,” said Kuhio Lewis, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.

“And we even have our workforce programs, our resource centers. We’re managing the distribution of all the large-scale things that have come in, like furniture,” Kane added.

American Red Cross, another major recipient of heartfelt donations, saw more than $90 million in monetary, goods and services, donations pour in.