LIHU‘E — Tyler Navarro, a college student at Purdue University, is no stranger to The Salvation Army. Arriving home for winter break Sunday, Navarro set out to help The Salvation Army with its New Year’s dinner, his collection of frozen
LIHU‘E — Tyler Navarro, a college student at Purdue University, is no stranger to The Salvation Army.
Arriving home for winter break Sunday, Navarro set out to help The Salvation Army with its New Year’s dinner, his collection of frozen ham, frozen vegetables, canned vegetables and fruits being joined by a food collection from the Kiwanis Club and the Kaua‘i High School Key Club.
Scot Nonaka, a Kiwanis Club member who describes himself as a “delivery person,” said the food collection was inspired by Navarro while he was a student at Kaua‘i High School.
“We started with the Mayor’s Aloha Garden,” Navarro, now a third-year student at Purdue, said. “During our program, we would visit the Salvation Army with the harvest, so we’re familiar with both The Salvation Army and its Kokua Soup Kitchen.”
When Navarro was a senior at Kaua‘i High School, he discovered the need for turkeys to help with The Salvation Army’s Thanksgiving meal.
“I went out and bought the turkeys,” Navarro said. “Every year since then, I check with the Major to see if they need help. This year, they said they could use help with the New Year’s meal so I got frozen ham, frozen vegetables, canned vegetables and fruits and some other things.”
He said helping the Salvation Army feed those who really need meals is not that expensive.
“I think what we spent for all the New Year’s food amounts to what we would spend in about two weeks while in college,” Tyler said.
Major Mario Reyes of The Salvation Army, Lihu‘e Corps said both the Christmas and New Year’s meals served by the Kokua Soup Kitchen will be held on a Monday because Christmas and New Year’s both fall on Tuesday.
“There is no bus service on those holidays so people who need to access the kitchen would not be able to come,” Reyes said. “We’re moving the meals to Monday, starting at 5 p.m., instead.”
He said the Hanapepe Corps’ Kokua Soup Kitchen falls on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, so it won’t be affected by the holidays.
Charlene Navarro, the advisor for the Kaua‘i High School Key Club, said the Christmas meal is being prepared by the Kaua‘i Marriott Resort and Beach Club and the New Year’s meal is being prepared using the material Tyler and the Kiwanis and Key Club provided.
“Serving will be done by the Salvation Army’s youth group and families who want to volunteer,” Reyes said.
Reyes said The Salvation Army Red Kettle program is also going strong with about the same performance as last year.
The Red Kettles will be on the streets through Christmas Eve. Family holiday distributions will also be taking place starting Friday.
For more information call 482-4134 or 335-5441.
