LIHU‘E — “We just wanted to do something for the community,” said Kaua‘i High School student Nigel Agcaoili representing the Student Government Wednesday morning during the Homecoming Week “Stronger Together” food drive. “This is just something small we can do to give back.”
Kaua‘i High School collected 336 pounds of assorted nonperishable food and presented the collection to the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank as a Homecoming service project under the guidance of Kaua‘i High School instructor Divina Plowman.
“Thank you for all of your efforts,” said Kelvin Moniz, the KIFB executive director. “This is food that is needed, right now. And the food takes care of everybody, not just people impacted by Kaua‘i High School. It’s for anyone who needs help with food.”
Agcaoli’s statement was shared across the island as groups met to host service projects that help everyone from keiki to kupuna, and people in between.
The Island School Interact Club partnered with the Rotary Club of Po‘ipu Beach to host the annual Kids’ Christmas Party for up to 100 keiki who are clients of Child and Family Service through Nana’s House in Waimea.
“We been doing this for at least 10 years,” said Rotarian Mike Curtis, the project leader. “We’ve worked with Stephanie Funtanilla, the Nana’s House director, for several years to offer Kaua‘i’s Westside youth a touch of the holidays.”
During Saturday’s Kids Christmas, the Club will provide keiki with a wrapped Christmas gift purchased and wrapped by the Island School Interact students, a bento breakfast, and a Big Save gift card in a drive-through event for the safety of everyone.
And kupuna were not forgotten when the Kapa‘a Lions Club and four of its prospective new members, and helpers from the East Kaua‘i Lions Club used its once-monthly meeting on Tuesday to pack Christmas bags for 55 of the residents at the Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital.
“The club meets just once a month,” said Janice Bond, past president of the East Kaua‘i Lions Club, and an avid supporter of the Kapa‘a club. “We usually do a service project during the meetings, and this one is for Christmas since the next one will be in 2022.”
Prospective members Maria Liisa Pettengill and Jaana Makipaa are a mother-daughter team responsible for penning personalized holiday cards for each of the residents.
“We had some help to put these bags together,” Bond said. “Because it’s Christmas, we have a stuffed animal courtesy of The Salvation Army going in each of the bags. We also received a contribution of oral hygiene products from the Kaua‘i Dental Group and a lot of love from the club members.”
The completed bags will be dropped off at Mahelona Hospital, Friday morning.
