KAPA‘A — Val Yamamoto flew in from Honolulu to help, said Chef Mark Oyama of Mark’s Place and Contemporary Flavors Catering on Thursday during the Kapa‘a Interfaith Association free community Thanksgiving lunch at the All Saints Gym.
Val had the position of honor in the serving line having the responsibility of putting the centerpiece turkey onto the plate lunch to go, stationed next to Brian Yamamoto of the Kapa‘a Hongwanji Temple.
The Mark’s Place crew formed the core of the Kapa‘a Interfaith Association free community Thanksgiving lunch that was scheduled to handle up to 1,400 meals. Seven hundred of those meals were set up at the Kapa‘a Hongwanji Temple to be delivered to people who were unable to physically get to the Kapa‘a site.
These were served through another Mark’s Place serving line led by Wendy Oyama and packaged for delivery.
“Plenty people,” said Aaron Arizo of Mark’s Place. “I don’t know how many volunteers we have, but there are a lot of people. They all have that distinct yellow-orange shirt. And, it even has the new Mark’s Place logo. That’s how you can tell.”
Lyle and Vianne Tabata were among the ranks of volunteers, Lyle expressing his joy at “being home.”
“He just asked if we need help,” Arizo said. “We just told him to come.”
Jimmy Oyadomori and Sam Shirai were among the first drivers to deliver lunches, arriving earlier than scheduled to avoid the line of cars.
The pair, longtime volunteers with the free lunch program, ended up with one of the larger loads, 17 packages that needed to be done by noon.
Sarah Rodgers chaired the event that brought the many churches in Kapa‘a together to help distribute the Thanksgiving meal that was prepared and plated by the Mark’s Place and Contemporary Flavors Catering army of volunteers.
The All Saints Episcopal Church website states that this is a wonderful collaboration that the community has embraced as shown by the growing numbers each year.
Participating churches in the Kapa‘a Interfaith Association include the All Saints Episcopal Church, the Kapa‘a Hongwanji Temple, St. Catherine’s Catholic Church, Happy Science, the Kapa‘a Jodo Mission, the Lihu‘e Hongwanji Temple, the Kapa‘a Seventh Day Adventist Church, the Kapa‘a United Church of Christ, and the Kapa‘a First Hawaiian Church.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
