In the spirit of sharing
With the holiday season begun, residents and business are bracing for the annual Christmas rush. For many of us, that means squeezing through packed shopping malls and deciding what to serve for holiday meals. But the holidays are about much more. Each Thanksgiving, The Advertiser kicks off the season with its annual giving campaign, the Christmas Fund. Each day until Christmas Eve, the paper will feature stories of our neighbors in need. And in the spirit of aloha, so many residents dig into their pocketbooks and manage to give what they can to help. While charities and other social-services agencies see a surge in giving during the holiday season, the need is present throughout the year. In this collection of articles, Lynn Maunakea from the Institute for Human Services, Kelvin Taketa from the Community Foundation and Lori Kaya from Hawaii Foodbank share their views on helping Hawai'i's needy.
By Lynn Maunakea
For many people, the holidays represent a time of plenty, a time for contemplation, a time to acknowledge all the gifts in one's life, a time to share. It is a time to plan festivities to bring together family and friends and celebrate this special season. During this holiday season of Thanksgiving, our thoughts should also turn to others who are less fortunate.
If you or people you know are in need of emergency food, shelter or other social services, call 211, a 24-hour hotline that provides referrals on getting help in your neighborhood.
This is the time of year that we are able to channel the good intentions of members of our community to maximize the benefit for our guests. It can be difficult to suggest to a group that wants to do a toy drive that perhaps a food or toiletries drive would help even more. And I realize it is not very fun collecting feminine hygiene supplies, soap, deodorant and disposable razors, but this is what our guests really need. I often put it this way: Imagine everything your family goes through in the way of shampoo, tissues, laundry detergent, etc. We need all of those things too, for a "family" of about 400 people nightly.
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It is hard to explain that the situation in the family dorm at the Institute for Human Services (where up to 25 families, with as many as 65 children, live) lacks adequate storage space. Many families arrive at IHS with all of their belongings, and struggle to find space under their beds, or in the very limited locked-storage area.
As much as we appreciate the enthusiasm of all the well-meaning volunteers who wanted to help serve Thanksgiving dinner (a big mahalo to Noel Trainor and the Hilton Hawaiian Village for the incredible feast and entertainment provided for the eighth year in a row), there are also tremendous opportunities to volunteer throughout the year. For example, our school-age keiki need volunteers to help with homework throughout the year, and the younger kids are thrilled when volunteer groups throw them an arts and crafts party. And the meal program dishes out an average of 900 meals each day, and we need groups to provide and serve these breakfasts, lunches and dinners.
It is not my intention to be overly pragmatic or to imply that practical items are the only gifts guests of IHS are receptive to. In fact, for the third year in a row, we will orchestrate a Holiday Store, using the donated gift items received, for our guests to "shop" at, using scrip provided by case managers. Volunteers will be on hand to help guests carefully wrap their chosen gifts. We want to empower family members and individuals to choose special gifts for the people they love, and be able to enjoy the giving part of the holidays as well as receiving.
It has been said that bounty always receives part of its value from the manner in which it is bestowed. While this is a time of plenty, we know that it will pass. So we work hard to stretch the blessings we receive during this season of giving, hoping it can last for several months into the new year.
We are incredibly thankful for all the assistance the community provides during the holidays and throughout the year. Every contribution made to IHS comes from a spirit of tremendous aloha. This precious love touches and changes all of us, our guests who are homeless, our staff and you.
To find out how to help the homeless, see www.IHShawaii.org or call 845-7150.
Lynn Maunakea is executive director of the Institute for Human Services. She wrote this article for The Advertiser.
