Oprah Visits ‘Second Home’ Maui Amidst Devastating Wildfires, Donates Supplies And Connects With Residents

The residents of Maui have been receiving an outpouring of support amid immense devastation in the wake of wildfires that have swept the island for the past three days. Billionaire media maven Oprah Winfrey went beyond thoughts and prayers by making her way to the War Memorial Gymnasium, where evacuees have been sheltered, to donate necessary supplies as well as her time.

Winfrey, who recently purchased $6.6 million worth of land on the island, has been volunteering at emergency shelters on Maui. “Mahalo Nui Oprah for following through! She returned with cots, pillows, and toiletries for the people in the shelter in Wailuku. She even spent some time with the people there. It was very much appreciated,” local non-profit group Kāko’o Haleakalā said via an Instagram post. According to CNN, the 69-year-old mogul has given to those in need in Maui before. In 2019, Winfrey opened up a private road on her property to help local residents flee during a brush fire that swept through neighboring land.

Winfrey has no plans to stop giving once the worst has passed and said she felt it was important that she show up to lend support. “I came earlier, just to see what people needed, and then went shopping because often you make donations of clothes or whatever, and it’s not really what people need,” she said. “So, I actually went to Walmart and Costco and got pillows, shampoo, diapers, sheets, pillowcases.”

Winfrey joins a growing number of celebrities who have already stepped up to help the people of Maui; including boxer Floyd Mayweather as well as Jason Momoa who is of Native Hawaiian ancestry. The former covered the cost for 68 displaced families to fly safely into nearby Honolulu, while the latter offered his sincere condolences along with ways others can help both on the ground and online.