SPOKANE, Wash. — As search and recovery operations continue in Maui, donations to support recovery efforts have been underway right in Spokane at Hang 10 Hawaiian Barbeque.
The restaurant is donating a portion of its food and gift card sales to recovery efforts in Maui. People have been coming in to donate and helped raised almost $1,200.
Ralston Read is the restaurant's manager. Read is originally from Hawaii, but now calls Spokane home.
"My heart still breaks every morning." Read said. "Every little dollar, every little aloha helps."
When the restaurant's owner, Natalie Goodwin, heard about the fires, she didn't think twice about donating, especially since Goodwin and her husband got married in Hawaii.
"Maui and Hawaii hold a special place in my husband's and I's hearts," Goodwin said.
The restaurant started donating 10% of its food and 50% of its gift card sales to Merriman's restaurant in Maui. 10 employees of Merriman's restaurant lost their homes and 16 workers are unaccounted for. Since the restaurant announced donations, customers have been pouring in.
They both know every cent matters.
"We need to feed the people, donating money will help bring more lunch plates out to the people," Read said.
They even ran out of food Tuesday night, which is unusual.
Hang 10 Hawaiian Barbeque is accepting donations through Aug. 18. The restaurant's owner wants to raise as much as $5,000.
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