A local business with locations in Maui is working to collect donations for its employees affected by last week’s deadly fires that tore through the town of Lahaina.
Sean Corpuel is the founder and manager of Cool Cat Café in San Luis Obispo and Pismo Beach. The restaurant also has a location in Lahaina, along with the nearby Captain Jack’s Island Grill. Both businesses burned to the ground.
"I got a call from one of my guys over there and he said, ‘Call me when you wake up,’ and so I called him and that's when he told me everything was gone. The whole town had burned up overnight," Corpuel said. "It's hard to think about when I actually go there and stand in front of the building, what that is going to look like."
Corpuel and his father started Cool Cat Café in Maui more than 20 years ago and then, eventually, Captain Jack’s.
He says it's hard not to be in constant communication with his workers in Maui.
“As far as my crew goes, we have 120 between Captain Jack’s and Cool Cats over there and I think we've accounted for 99% of them. We have a formal list and we are trying to check every box on that list."
Corpuel says they want to do their best to help all of their employees affected by the fires.
"I have a couple employees that will be here on Tuesday that we are going to put to work; friends and family around here that are going to house them,” Corpuel said.
He hopes focusing on the present but keeping an eye on the future will help, adding that they plan to rebuild.
Corpuel says he wants to go back to Maui when it's safe in order to be able to fully process the heartbreaking reality of what occurred.
A gofundme account has been established to assist the impacted employees at both Cool Cat Café and Captain Jack's. By Monday afternoon, more than $67,000 had been raised.
Donations can also be made at Splash Café, located next to Cool Cats in Pismo Beach, which says it's pledging to match donations made at both of its locations.
The Cool Cat restaurants in Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo are also collecting supplies to be sent to Maui shelters, such as bedding, clothing, shoes, and hygienic items.
