ADVERTISER CHRISTMAS FUND
Father's salary covers rent, food, little else
By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
R.S. has two children, a 6-year-old boy who wants to be a bus driver and an 8-month-old girl who is already starting to walk
Until recently the children's father worked without pay in exchange for the family's rent.
A few months ago he got regular employment, but his salary just barely meets the bills, and R.S. worries a lot about tomorrow.
"We buy food," R.S. said. "But a lot of the time we don't have enough money to buy toilet paper or shampoo after we pay the rent."
The adults' bed recently broke and they can't afford a new one. The kids need clothes and want toys, but Christmas is outside of the family budget.
R.S.'s little boy would like toy police cars and ambulances —and especially a toy bus — for Christmas.
"He's always loved the motion of the bus," she said. "I think it might be because I rode the bus every day while I was pregnant."
R.S. would like her little girl to have educational and musical toys.
The parents need a bed, and grocery store gift certificates would be helpful.
To donate, send checks payable to "The Advertiser Christmas Fund" to Helping Hands Hawai'i, P.O. Box 17780, Honolulu, HI 96817. Monetary donations also may be dropped off at any First Hawaiian Bank branch. Goods can be donated at the Community Clearinghouse at 2100 N. Nimitz Highway, near Pu'uhale Road. For details, call 440-3804.
Christmas Fund donations will be used for families who need help making it through the holidays.
How to help
Any money remaining after the holidays will be used to help those in need throughout the year. Our anonymous Santa is matching the first $25 of each donation to the Christmas Fund.
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Recent donations to The Advertiser Christmas Fund
- Mary Hagedorn $250
- Donald H. & Mary R. Thompson $200
- Loren, Cammy, Soho, Brooklyn & Madison Divers $100
- Fran & Bill Ehrman $100
- In Memory of Capt. Gabriel, Remedios Marcos & Gabriel Garduque, Jr. $100
- In Memory of Henry J. Choy $100
- In Memory of Muriel $100
- Peter & Tencha Jenkins $100
- Eugene Y.T. & Amy K.S.N. Lui $100
- Map Vision, Inc $100
- Gregory & Susan N. Tamon $100
- Yoshio Ueda $100
- Maridell B. Alexander $50
- Harry Y. & Annette M. Nishida $50
- Robert G. Reckendorf $50
- Makana & Christopher Romeo $50
- Rosei & Edna Shinsato $50
- Lawrence M. Conley $40
- In Memory of Donald Pando & Chris Harris $30
- In Memory of Grace & Frank Ahern $25
- In Memory of Kendall S. Sakihara-Okajima $25
- Walter E. & Lydia I. Leonard $25
- Clarkson D. Chin $10
- Anonymous $125
- Anonymous $100
- Anonymous $50
- Anonymous $50
- Anonymous $50
Total $2,230
Previous total $33,581
Total to date $35,811
