By Cesar Gaxiola, Executive Director J. Walter Cameron Center
Hawaiʻi’s safety net is strongest when the community organizations that hold it together are supported and valued.
Every day, community-based nonprofits feed families, care for kūpuna, support survivors, shelter youth, and assist people with complex needs.
But this safety net is fraying and without action, it will break.
At the J. Walter Cameron Center, we house and work alongside 26 nonprofit partners and collaborate with more than 120 additional organizations serving thousands of Maui residents. Costs continue to rise while funding has not kept pace. We also manage Nā Hale Kūpuna, providing housing to seniors displaced by the 2023 wildfires, further illustrating the growing need for stable support.
Photo (L to R): Cesar Gaxiola, Judith Clark, Senate President Ron Kouchi, Hanna Lesiak