WAIMEA — Solidad Lagazo of Kekaha said she didn’t sign up, but when Salvation Army Lt. Sarah Smuda asked if she could ring the bell, she stepped forward. “I don’t like to sign up for something I don’t know if
WAIMEA — Solidad Lagazo of Kekaha said she didn’t sign up, but when Salvation Army Lt. Sarah Smuda asked if she could ring the bell, she stepped forward.
“I don’t like to sign up for something I don’t know if I can do,” Lagazo said. “But when Lt. Sarah called, I had some time, so I came to help.”
Lagazo was ringing the familiar Salvation Army bell at the red kettle positioned outside of Ishihara Market in Waimea, her tinkle-tinkle of the tiny bell being overpoweg by the amplified sound system on the steps of the First Hawaiian Bank branch across of Kaumuali‘i Highway.
With Thanksgiving done, the Salvation Army turns its attention to Christmas, the other celebration of the holidays.
“Last year, we had about 350 requests from children and about 30 requests from seniors,” Smuda said. “Most of those requests are filled from the Toys for Tots collections.”
Smuda said the Toys for Tots program, this year being spearheaded by the U.S. Marines Corps League with help from the U.S. Navy and the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Mana and the U.S. Coast Guard, is the major source the Hanapepe Corps relies on to help fulfill the holiday requests from children and seniors.
In addition to the Toys for Tots program, the Salvation Army also relies heavily on its annual Red Kettle program and the Angel Tree.
“On the Westside, we have Toys for Tots collection sites at the Bank of Hawai‘i in Hanapepe, Hardware Hawai‘i in Koloa, Brennecke’s Beach Broiler and the fire stations in Hanapepe, Waimea, Kalaheo and Koloa,” Smuda said. “Unfortunately, we don’t have a place where we can host an Angel Tree.”
This year, Smuda anticipates a rise in requests from children and seniors based on activity the Salvation Army, Hanapepe Corps Kokua Soup Kitchen is doing.
“We started out serving 1,143 meals in January, three times a week,” Smuda said. “In October, we ended serving 721 meals, down from January, but overall, the Hanapepe Kokua Kitchen served up 9,896 meals ending Oct. 31 — substantially more than the same period in 2010, which was an increase over 2009 and 2008.”
Based on this pattern, Smuda she estimates the Hanapepe Corps will end up with about 400 requests from children for this holiday season.
The Hanapepe Corps Kokua Soup Kitchen serves hot dinner on Mondays, and lunches on Wednesdays and Fridays.
“Nana’s House in Waimea has a request for 1,000 toys for this season alone,” Smuda said. “We also put in a request for 400 children from the JC Penney Angel Tree program which, if people participate in, will pay the shipping to Hawai‘i.”
Dennis Okihara of Obsessions restaurant in Waimea said there are a lot of people going into Nana’s House.
“They’re hurting,” he said while manning his sidewalk special during the Waimea Town Lighting event, Thursday. “I can see what’s happening from the back and there’re more people going in (for services).”
As the merriment at the Lighting Event rose with the arrival of Santa Claus, Lagazo continued to maintain her station with her tiny bell.
“God bless you,” she said with a quiet smile. “Merry Christmas.”
For more information or to sign up as a volunteer for the Red Kettle program, or any of the Salvation Army holiday programs, call 335-5441 or 245-2571.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
