Kihei resident Liza Pierce is using her social media savvy to support the Maui Food Bank and help some local businesses weather the COVID-19 storm. Photo courtesy Liza Pierce

In this time of great uncertainty, one thing is certain: Our community is filled with many generous hearts. Look around and you’ll see kindness in action, from face mask sewing brigades to volunteers distributing care kits to Maui’s unsheltered.

These efforts are bright spots amid the gloom unleashed by the coronavirus pandemic. One of them, called “Maui in My Heart,” serves the dual purpose of helping local businesses weather the COVID-19 storm while raising money for the Maui Food Bank.

Maui in My Heart is the brainchild of interactive media strategist and blogger Liza Pierce, who, like so many others, is distressingly aware of the recent surge in demand for food assistance. In the past, the Maui Food Bank served 10,000 food-insecure residents countywide every month, but that number has risen to 35,000 since the pandemic began.

Determined to help, Pierce used her social media know-how to create the “Visitors Kokua Project,” an online campaign she launched in late May to raise money for the food bank. She appealed to her blog audience and social media followers, many of whom are frequent visitors who care deeply for the place they look forward to returning to someday. “The premise of Visitors Kokua Project is that there are Maui visitors who truly love Maui and its people,” she explained.

In July, Pierce debuted another campaign, Maui in My Heart, with the goal of raising more money for the Maui Food Bank by the end of August. Maui in My Heart’s mission is the same as its predecessor, but with the secondary objective of supporting local small businesses.

“Instead of just asking for donations directly, I thought: ‘Why not have a project where local businesses on Maui can benefit, the visitors who are supporting can also benefit — while we all support Maui Food Bank,’ ” Pierce recalled. “All of us love Maui and that’s when I thought of the hashtag #MauiInMyHeart.”

Here’s how it works: Pierce is promoting several local businesses (one is based on Kauai, but is originally from Maui) and their products — everything from clothing to jewelry to artisan soap — on her “A Maui Blog” site and social media pages. Maui in My Heart consumers shop online and when they’re ready to check out, enter a promo code to receive a 10 percent discount. The best part? Every sale helps the Maui Food Bank keep its shelves full.

Initially, Pierce planned to donate $1 from every transaction to the food bank, but almost immediately after she launched the campaign, her phone rang: Two South Maui Realtors, Alana Rucynski and Lydia Pedro, were so inspired by Maui in My Heart that they wanted to match every dollar Pierce donated.

And those dollars will go a long way. With every $1 donated, the Maui Food Bank can provide four meals to residents in need. “Every little donation matters,” Pierce said.

Maui in My Heart is now in its final stretch and Pierce says she’s received an overwhelmingly positive response from the participating businesses, as well as consumers. She says she’s grateful to have an opportunity to use her skills to help others. “There is a quote by Mother Teresa that I love. She said: ‘do small things with great love,’ ” Pierce said. “That’s the inspiration behind this.”

In the end, it may not be the largest donation the Maui Food Bank receives, she said, “But it will be with great love.”

The Maui in My Heart campaign runs through Aug. 31. To participate, visit Pierce’s blog at amauiblog.com/maui-in-my-heart or the “Visit Live Love Maui” Facebook page, www.facebook.com/visitlive lovemaui. Now more than ever, donations are needed to help feed those who are at risk of going hungry in Maui County. To learn more about the Maui Food Bank or to inquire about volunteer or donor opportunities, visit www.mauifoodbank.org or call 243-9500.

* Sarah Ruppenthal is a Maui-based writer. Do you have an interesting neighbor? Tell us about them at missruppenthal@gmail.com. Neighbors and “The State of Aloha,” written by Ben Lowenthal, alternate Fridays.