(KRON) — Two weeks ago, we introduced you to a San Leandro native studying in Kona. Kaleo Lee told us how he was organizing a donation drive and then heading to Maui to help distribute those items to those impacted by the fires in Lahaina.

Lee and several others did just that last week, and now have returned to Kona. KRON4 spoke to him Wednesday about taking part in the relief effort.

“I feel like in any community when someone needs, needs help and needs a hand, if you have the ability to you should be there to help out. So that’s what we’re doing,” Lee said.

For three days last week, Lee was in Maui with a group of volunteers unloading, sorting and distributing a warehouse full of donations for those impacted by the fires in Lahaina.

“Some of the biggest things that people needed were food,” Lee said. “We had a ton of food donations, snacks, a lot of spam, ramen, canned goods, bread, we had a ton of diapers stuff, as well as like, a lot of baby essentials. We also had a whole room full of clothes, there’re camping supplies.”

Lee is studying to be a physician assistant in Kona. After launching their own donation drive which gathered 2,300 pounds of items, Lee and four other students flew into Maui last Wednesday.

“I think for me personally, it was a really amazing opportunity to do what I want to do in my career,” he said. “I also think it was an amazing opportunity to really represent our school and university, but also help the community of Maui. For me, that was the most rewarding part.”

Working out of the King Cathedral Church in Kahului, Lee says despite the devastation he really felt a sense of community among those impacted by the fire.

This community in Maui is really resilient. And that’s what we saw a lot of that resiliency and that didn’t manifest as hopelessness, it manifested as hope and I think when you have a really strong community behind you, you can get through a lot of things

Lee and his fellow students are back in Kona now, but he is in daily touch with Kings Cathedral and ready to return if they put the call out for more volunteers.