Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson have donated $10 million to establish a fund which provides direct financial assistance to those who experienced devastating loss from the catastrophic wildfires in Lahania and Kula.
The organization, called the People’s Fund of Maui, offers adults who lost their primary residence in the fire to receive $1,200 each month in financial assistance. Both homeowners and renters are eligible to receive assistance. Property owners not living in the residence are not eligible.
Winfrey and Johnson established the People’s Fund of Maui with the goal of providing those who suffered loss due the the wildfires with financial “agency.”
“Being able to make decisions for themselves about what they need what their family needs, that’s our goal, is to get that to the people now,” said Oprah in a joint Instagram post with Johnson.
Both Winfrey and Johnson promised that donations would go “from you directly to their hands.” They assured potential donators that all funds will be put towards assisting those in need.
“I know a lot of people out there — as Oprah and I have been finding — are just having a hard time trusting where the money goes. What organization should I send money to? How can I help?” Johnson said in an Instagram video shared on his profile.
“In this case, the fund that we created with a lot of hard work from a lot of hard working people who all care about these people of Maui, as Oprah was saying, it is a clean, direct, from you directly to their hands, and right away with some real immediacy.”
Many native Hawaiians and longtime Hawaii residents have expressed a fear that they might not be able to afford to rebuild their homes, especially amid an ongoing housing shortage on the island, reports The New York Times.
Billionaires such as Peter Thiel, Jeff Bezos and even Oprah — whose property in Kula costs $6.6 million — are pricing out longtime Hawaii residents. A single family medium house costs an average of $900,000, per Fortune. But many Hawaiians cannot afford to stay and are moving to the mainland.
“There’s no Hawaii without Hawaiians,” said Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters, who is Native Hawaiian, per Fortune. “That’s just incredibly sad to me, that Hawaiians cannot afford to live in Hawaii.”
Johnson is of Samoan descent and spent part of his childhood in Hawaii.
“As people around the world watched the catastrophic loss and devastation caused by the Maui wildfires, they also witnessed the great spirit and resilience of our Polynesian culture and the tremendous strength of the people of Maui. Even in the most difficult of times, the people of Maui come together, and we rise — that’s what makes us stronger,” Johnson said in the press release, per NBC News.
The star’s new efforts was met with skepticism from several individuals who claim donating money to the pair would be a mistake. Several Instagram commenters questioned why the pair did not donate more of their own wealth, rather than asking people to give donations.
“Ummm ... you 2 have enough money to replace EVERYTHING .... so ... um .... how about yall do that and stock being a mockery?? Better yet, open your MANSIONS that weren’t miraculously touched by the fires to those misplaced!!” one commentator wrote.
“Two people with more money than 99 percent of the world asking for money! I’d be so embarrassed,” said another Instagram user.
“Why don’t you use your Millions upon Millions to help out instead of asking the people who live paycheck to paycheck. You’re all clowns,” read another top comment.
Another commenter referenced Winfrey’s 870 acres of land in Kula, writing, “I mean, you could give them back a large chunk of their land that YOU DO NOT NEED.”