Maui Food Bank serves Maui County, covering the islands of Maui, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi, through 124 partner agencies. The August 8, 2023 Lahaina wildfire fundamentally changed what the food bank does and at what scale: more than 12,000 people were displaced and a large part of Lahaina was destroyed, and the food bank became central to the long recovery. Based in Wailuku, it is led by interim CEO Brandi Saragosa during a leadership transition, after Lisa Paulson stepped down in 2026. It is a Feeding America member.
Maui Food Bank sources food and distributes it across Maui County through 124 partner agencies and its own programs, reaching three islands separated by water. Serving Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi alongside Maui means coordinating shipments across channels, a logistics challenge few mainland food banks face. Since the 2023 wildfire it has operated at a far larger scale, supporting displaced families through a recovery that is still underway.
The organization is in a leadership transition. Lisa Paulson, who became CEO in August 2024 as the food bank reported a sharp surge in food insecurity, stepped down in 2026, and chief operating officer Brandi Saragosa is serving as interim CEO. The board has launched a search for a permanent leader. Saragosa brings more than 17 years of operations and leadership experience to the role.
Maui Food Bank serves all of Maui County: the island of Maui, plus the smaller, more isolated islands of Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi. The Lahaina wildfire displaced more than 12,000 people and devastated the local economy, and the recovery has kept demand far above pre-fire levels, on top of the high cost of living that already strained island families.
Yes. Maui Food Bank is a registered 501(c)(3) and a Feeding America member. Donors can review its financials through Charity Navigator and GuideStar. Given its central role in the ongoing wildfire recovery, donations here have outsized local impact.
Donations and volunteer shifts run through mauifoodbank.org. Both have been especially valuable since the wildfire, and cash gifts give the food bank flexibility to buy exactly what displaced families need on each island.
Maui Food Bank serves Maui County, while Hawaiʻi Foodbank serves Oʻahu and Kauaʻi and helps coordinate statewide. The two worked closely together during the Lahaina wildfire response. For anyone on Maui, Molokaʻi, or Lānaʻi, Maui Food Bank is the lead organization.
124 agencies across Maui, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi.
Sustained support for families displaced by the 2023 fire.
Shipping food across channels to Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi.
Targeted support for the most vulnerable groups.
Sources: Maui Food Bank website (mauifoodbank.org), and Maui Now and Maui News reporting on the leadership transition and the Lahaina wildfire recovery. We are not affiliated with Maui Food Bank and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
More Hawaiʻi and food-bank resources