Radiothon raises nearly $35K for those impacted by Tonga eruption, tsunami

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A radiothon on Oahu raised money to help with disaster relief in Tonga following a devastating eruption and tsunami that happened nearly a month ago.

The “Kokua for Tonga” campaign, which was launched by iHeartMedia, has raised nearly $35,000.

The fundraiser began as a 24-hour event on Feb. 4 but it continued for over a week due to overwhelming support.

The money will go toward the Tonga Red Cross Society to help buy supplies.

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“Fresh water, tarps, ropes, so they can have some type of shelter. These are things they need immediately,” said Jimmy “Da Geek” Bender, producer for KSSK morning show. “They’ll be needing other stuff down the road, like cans of SPAM and containers full of food, but right now these are the things they need immediately.”

Radio hosts said they hope these funds will be able to help the people of Tonga recover.

While the radiothon is over, those interested can still donate to the cause.

Those interested can donate by mailing a check to American Red Cross of Hawaii, 41155 Diamond Head Road, Honolulu, HI 96816 with “Tongan Relief” written on the memo line.

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