Advertiser Christmas Fund
Security officer, six children have to eat on floor
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer
"S.K." sets a large aluminum serving pan down on newspapers that have been spread out over the living room floor before sitting down to eat with her six young children.
The floor is their table; there are no chairs. Spills are common, and meal time is normally chaotic.
S.K., a 30-year-old single parent, has been looking for a dining table and chairs to accommodate eight people for nearly three years. The Helping Hands Hawai'i Clearinghouse and Salvation Army have not been able to help so far.
"Eating on the floor is not only uncomfortable but unsanitary," she said. "It would be nice to eat Christmas dinner on our own table."
S.K., who has been separated from her husband for several years, cannot afford to buy a dining set. She earns $1,200 a month as a full-time security officer and receives welfare assistance. Her monthly rent for a three-bedroom house is $1,000, and there's only a couple hundred dollars left after the utility bill is paid.
How to make a donation
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Checks made payable to The Advertiser Christmas Fund should be mailed to
Helping Hands Hawai'i
P.O. Box 19155
Honolulu, HI 96817
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Donations may also be dropped off at any First Hawaiian Bank branch.
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Anyone wishing to donate goods instead of money can do so at the Community Clearinghouse at 2100 N. Nimitz Highway near Pu'uhale Street. For details, call 536-7234.
She has space in her living room for a large table. "The kids could use it to do their homework," S.K. said. "We turn off the TV and they lie on the floor to do their work now."
S.K. also could use clothes for her four daughters — ages 11, 10, 7 and 10 months — and two sons, who are 12 and 3 years old. The older girls' dress sizes are 10 to 12, while the eldest boy has a 28 waist for pants and wears adult small shirts.
