Local News

Lahaina cleanup draws broad support

A woman whose home was destroyed in the 2023 Lahaina fire was the first to arrive before sunrise at the 22nd Lahaina Town Cleanup.

Others followed, including a family from Wailuku whose grandparents were Lahaina residents and people who surf at Lahaina Harbor.

Cleanup organizer Tambara Garrick said the event, which took place Saturday, provided an opportunity for healing for some post-fire survivors and also promoted caring for the land and ocean.

"People came together. They felt good about what they're doing. It's part of the healing process," said Garrick, who works as director with the LahainaTown Action Committee. "You can make a big difference in a small amount of time."

She said the event gathered over a ton of rubbish, scrap metal, appliances and 10 tires. The first 300 volunteers were given a Maui Building Source T-shirt. There was also a breakfast burrito from Pizza Paradiso and a coffee station from Mala Ocean Tavern.

"Even though picking up trash doesn't seem like fun, we try to make the overall event fun," Garrick said.

The event drew a large group of supporters, including volunteers from Scouting America, Lahainaluna High School students and volunteer groups from Kaanapali resorts.

It also included members of the Surfrider Foundation and Lahaina Restoration Foundation.

Garrick said she's been a part of the organizing committee for the annual cleanup since 2012, when the event took place at Kamehameha Iki Park.

"We've kept the event running 22 years in a row. Even through Covid and the post-fire, we still hosted the event," she said.

Garrick said the cleanup receives funds from the Ocean Conservancy International Coastal Cleanup project, which organizes the international event in September.

She said the annual cleanup on Maui was delayed until early October due to potential impacts from Hurricane Nolo.

At Wahikuli Wayside Park, Wailuku residents Jay Murasaki and Precious Naleieha, along with her two sons, Landon and Makaiah, were picking up trash after registering for the cleanup.

Both Murasaki and Naleieha said they have family residing in Lahaina and wanted to contribute to Lahaina's recovery.

Naleieha said she was taught that anytime you go somewhere, you leave the place better than it was, and that participating in the cleanup teaches her children to care for the land.

She said her family has conducted its own cleanups near the Wailuku River and Wailuku Elementary School park.

"I feel like if my kids go out to play in the park, I want it to be clean," she said.

Lahaina residents Lyndsey Kenefick and Esme Brumer selected a spot on the group's map to pick up trash just north of Lahaina Harbor.

"We surf right there at the harbor," Kenefick said. "It felt right to pick up trash where we are."