Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson launch Maui recovery fund

By Cheri Mossburg, CNN

(CNN) — Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson have launched a recovery fund for the people who lost housing in the Maui wildfires, the pair announced in a video shared on Instagram Thursday.

The two stars together donated $10 million to get the campaign started and are inviting the public to help in the effort.

“We have created the People’s Fund of Maui that will put money directly in the hands of the people who need it right now,” Winfrey said, explaining that adults who lost their primary homes in the Lahaina and Kula fires are eligible to receive $1200 a month. This includes both homeowners and renters.

Winfrey said the idea for the fund was sparked by an article she read about Dolly Parton helping her community.

“It is a clean direct from you directly to their hands and right away with some real immediacy,” Johnson added.

The funds will be distributed “each month for as long as members of our community are still in need and as long as the funds last,” according to the fund’s website where people can both donate and apply for assistance. “Residents of Maui should decide what recovery looks like for themselves, their families, and their community,” the site states.

“People being able to have their own agency, being able to make decisions for themselves about what they need and what their family needs – that’s our goal, is to get that to the people now,” Winfrey said in their video message.

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