When Hurricane Lowell hit Kauai, the power went out, the bridge went under, and the insurance company said no.
Brittany Schwartz fed everybody anyway.
People like Brittany don't ask for help. They're too busy giving it. So when we got wind of what she was going through, we went to Hanalei and met with her in person. We heard the whole story from her — and decided it was our turn to show up for her.
What Hurricane Lowell did to Hanalei
Lowell slammed Kauai on September 7 and 8, 2026. It knocked out power to 33,000 of the island's 36,000 electric customers. Hanalei got the worst of the rain — 17.76 inches, the highest total recorded anywhere in Hawaii. Hanalei Bridge flooded and closed, cutting the North Shore off.
In the middle of town, behind Hanalei Liquor Store, sits a food truck called Hanalei Burger.
A wrecked truck and a denied claim
Lowell's winds launched a table straight into the truck. The frame bent, the roof pulled away, and water poured in. Tens of thousands of dollars in damage.
Brittany filed an insurance claim. It was denied.
She was told to buy a whole new truck. That wasn't happening, so she patched what she could and kept going. Hanalei Burger is back open. That's the part of disaster recovery nobody puts on the news: the small business owner who did everything right, paid the premiums, and got left holding a mop.
The day after, she fed the town
The morning after the storm, the power was out and her meat was about to spoil. So she gave it away. All of it. 300 free burgers for neighbors waking up to wreckage.
In her words to Hawaii News Now: "we're going to feed the community."
Then she kept going. Hanalei Burger has been sponsoring meals for the crews clearing roads and restoring power on the North Shore.
When things go down in Hanalei, this truck is where people show up.
She fed Hanalei. Help us keep showing up for people like her.
No kid goes hungry at this truck
This didn't start with the hurricane.
Brittany grew up on food stamps, raised by a single mom, picking up food bank boxes and counting WIC coupons at the register. School breaks were the hardest, because free school lunch stopped.
So when the federal shutdown froze SNAP benefits in late 2025, she started giving free burgers to kids. Customers chip in $10 to cover a burger for a keiki. She pledged 100. The community sent over 200.
Kids get a Keiki Card — a stamp card — so nobody has to say out loud that they need a free meal. No shame. No questions. Local grass-fed beef, organic everything.
She and her husband Brett, a former pro surfer, also sponsor the Hawaii Surf Team with free meals — they helped fund the team's trip to Peru — and Hanalei Burger supports the Andy Irons Foundation, which backs young people on Kauai facing mental health struggles, addiction and learning disabilities.
Let's bless the one who blesses everybody
Brittany has spent years feeding everyone else — the keiki, the line crews, the neighbors who woke up to wreckage. She never asked for anything back.
So after we sat down with her, we knew we wanted to show up for her the way she shows up for everyone else. We're working with Brittany now on where EXC can help most as she gets Hanalei Burger back to full strength.
This is a thank-you. A little aloha sent back to the person who's been handing it out all along — so she can keep feeding the kids and community who count on that truck.
Want to be part of blessings like this one? Your donation goes to EXC's general fund, which supports all of our missions and projects — including relief like this.
Why EXC International does disaster relief
EXC International is a 501(c)(3). We work in internationally and domestically. Disaster relief is part of the mission: after a storm or an earthquake, we put money directly in the hands of the people and small businesses rebuilding their communities. No application maze. We find them.
We've seen this before. In 2018, a string of earthquakes tore through Lombok, Indonesia. The deadliest, on August 5, killed more than 560 people, and around 80% of the buildings in North Lombok were damaged or destroyed. EXC wasn't officially formed yet, but our founders were there on the ground, helping the community rebuild.
Different ocean, same story. The official recovery money is slow, the insurance says no, and the people holding the community together are the ones running the corner store, the surf shop — or the burger truck.
Those are the people we fund: the ones who give first.
FAQ
How can I donate to Hurricane Lowell victims on Kauai? Give to groups funding people on the ground. Donations to EXC's general fund support all our missions, including disaster relief like Hanalei Burger's fryer.
What happened to Hanalei Burger in Hurricane Lowell? Winds threw a table into the truck, damaging the frame and roof and letting water in. The insurance claim was denied.
Does Hanalei Burger give free meals to kids? Yes. Customers donate $10 burgers, and kids use a Keiki Card to get a meal, no questions asked.
Is my donation tax-deductible? Yes, to the extent allowed by law. EXC International is a 501(c)(3), EIN 92-3953750.
She fed Hanalei. Let's get her truck back to full strength.
And if you're in Kauai: go eat at Hanalei Burger.