BayPort Credit Union Donates $10,000 to the Hawaii Salvation Army as Wildfire Relief Continues

BayPort Credit Union today announced it is donating $10,000 to the Hawaii Salvation Army to support its Maui wildfires relief fund. The Salvation Army uses one hundred percent of all donations designated 'disaster relief' to support disaster operations.

The Salvation Army is feeding and coordinating several thousand meals each day at Maui County/American Red Cross and other shelters in response to the various evacuations caused by the historic wildfires. The event's first significant fire started on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, and ultimately consumed Lahaina, a coastal town of 13,000 in western Maui that was leveled.

"The credit union philosophy of 'People Helping People' doesn't end here at home," said Jim Mears, President/CEO of BayPort Credit Union. "BayPort's field of membership includes a collection of coastal communities, and we understand the devastation a natural disaster may cause. The destruction created by the wildfires is incredibly heartbreaking, and we want to leverage our support in whatever way we can."

BayPort has selected the Salvation Army due to its longstanding partnership with the Salvation Army of the Virginia Peninsula. The Salvation Army of the Virginia Peninsula serves the Hampton, Newport News, York, Poquoson, and Gloucester-Mathews areas, assisting those in need with housing, utilities, food, after-school childcare, and camp opportunities for youth.

BayPort is the region's only Community Development Financial Institution and a National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Low-Income Designated Credit Union. Membership is open to those who live, work, worship, volunteer, or attend school in the Greater Hampton Roads area. BayPort is ranked in the top five percent of credit unions nationwide by asset size.