PHOENIX — Valley native Lastassia Eidson has relatives on almost every island of Hawaii, so when she saw the images out of the place she loves, she was devastated.
“It is leveled, Maui is leveled. Lahaina is leveled,” Eidson said. "Things that have been in existence for hundreds of years will no longer exist. It is a devastating blow and on top of that, the people are missing."
It's been days without reliable cell service on Maui, which leaves Eidson in limbo.
"There are still a lot of family members we have yet to hear from or contact or locate and we're just trying to be hopeful and do what we can with the time while we wait,” Eidson says.
Instead of waiting, she decided to take action for her family in Maui through her Hawaiian shave ice business, "Mahalo Made."
"I went into storage and pulled everything out,” Eidson said. “We've reduced the prices [of apparel] by a large amount and 100% of our sales this weekend are going to relief efforts in Maui. And we're not donating to huge organizations, we're donating to families that we know."
Eidson says she has a family member, who has five children, who lost her home in the fire.
"We're not wasting any time worrying or complaining,” Eidson said. “We're banding together doing what we can do."
Eidson's brother has organized two shipping containers on Kaui to be filled with items and shipped to Maui.
She's matching whatever is donated out of her own pocket.
Eidson said tearfully, "If this is a place that you love, can you show your Aloha now? Instead of just for your photo, instead of just for your vacation home? Because people are struggling."
