The West Maui Improvement Foundation (WMIF) has announced gifts totaling $1.25 million from the Benioff and Arrillaga Family foundations to purchase a modular fire station for Olowalu, Maui Now reports.

The gift includes $1 million from Salesforce co-founder and CEO, Marc Benioff’s family foundation and $250,000 as directed by Justine Stamen and John Arrillaga. WMIF launched its fundraising efforts for the fire station project in 2022. According to WMIF president and secretary Joseph Pluta, costs have risen dramatically for infrastructure and getting the necessary utilities to the site. The gifts are in addition to $1 million from the Dell Family Foundation to help develop the station.

“It’s a shocking reality that we are literally the only significant deterrent to this upcoming challenge to mitigate damages from our next Lahaina fire, which may be sooner than we are ready to combat,” said Pluta. “Time is of the essence, and lives are at stake.”

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