It's cleanup time in Chinatown
By Zenaida Serrano Espanol
Advertiser Staff Writer
More than 80 volunteers have signed up to clean, repaint and landscape areas of Chinatown on Saturday in an effort to improve the historic downtown community.
Chinatown cleanup Food drive
Residents of Kekaulike Courtyards and merchants in surrounding businesses have offered to work in areas including the Courtyards, Kekaulike Mall and the Honolulu Police Department substation in Chinatown for the third annual NeighborWorks Week, a community cleanup project involving volunteers in 48 states.
NeighborWorks Week
"The property, Kekaulike Courtyards, is located right in the dead center of Chinatown," said Melody Pai, resident services coordinator. "Basically, we're just trying to bring the neighborhood merchants and residents together to beautify our surroundings."
Kekaulike Courtyards, an affordable housing complex, has 76 apartment and studio units, Pai said.
The cleanup effort will involve seven teams, 84 volunteers in all, including employees of Hawai'i National Bank, students of TransPacific Hawai'i College and members of Nu'uanu Baptist Church.
Maile Lee, 79, a resident of Kekaulike Courtyards, has volunteered for the event since it began.
"It's to help to make our community a better and safer place," Lee said. "If we help one another, we can build a better neighborhood not only for ourselves but for everybody else."
Organizers have also planned a food drive from June 9 to 13 to benefit needy families and individuals at the Courtyards, as well as the Hawaii Foodbank.
The drive was initiated by Pai, said foodbank spokeswoman Lori Kaya.
"(Pai) said whatever they do receive, 60 percent will come to Kekaulike and the other 40 percent will come to the foodbank, so we're just trying to give them as much support as possible to make this a successful community event and food drive," Kaya said.
