Donors make holidays brighter

A few weeks after a motorist struck and damaged her home, she suffered heart failure.

That led to hospitalization and the loss of her job.

Treatments required medication that made her ill, preventing her from getting another job.

She was one member of the families that waited patiently as Salvation Army volunteers worked to process applications at the family distribution day yesterday.

More than 200 families were registered to receive gifts and necessary items for their household at the Lihu‘e Corps site.

“We have more than 200 families here,” Captain Mitham Clement said. “In Hanapepe, they have a greater need and they have more than 200 families registered, too.”

Kaua‘i’s needy families come from a wide spectrum of the population.

Some are homeless, others are like the lady who is the victim of circumstance that prevent her from earning enough money to make ends meet, while others work and still need some help to make the holidays brighter.

For weeks, volunteers have been ringing bells at Red Kettles, collecting food and other items to fulfill wish lists for Kaua‘i’s people.

Clement said the Salvation Army will remain active through Christmas Eve despite yesterday being the day most of the distributions were done.

“We have families that can’t come on the distribution day. There are others who have not registered but need help. And there are always stragglers who come in,” Clement said. “We’ll continue our efforts through Christmas Eve.”

Items for the distribution day are a result of numerous programs administered by the Salvation Army.

The Toys for Tots Partnership with the U.S. Marine Corps League distributed more than 3,000 toys to 15 agencies that take care of needy people, Clement said. That distribution took place Friday.

Other programs that fed the coffers of the distribution day included the ACE Charity Program, Adopt-A-Kettle, Breakfast with Santa, Lokahi Giving Tree Program, Angel Tree Program, Lokahi Adopt-a-Family, Holiday Food Drive and the Foodland Share-A-Feast program.

“There are so many generous people — individuals, groups, businesses and agencies,” Clement said. “There is something special about Kaua‘i. We have a wonderful spirit of giving back to the community.”

Clement pointed out one local company that traditionally hosts a gift exchange program among its employees during Christmas.

This year, however, Clement said the company decided it would contribute the gifts from that program to help Kaua‘i’s needy families.

“The Salvation Army sits in the middle of the sea between the needy and the donors.

There are so many people in difficulty, but there are also so many generous people. And when you feel the spirit of giving and sharing, it’s a wonderful feeling,” Clement said.

Doug Nielsen was a USMC League volunteer who wheeled out a bike from the chapel filled with gifts that were colorfully wrapped for the season.

Hemily Clement was a Salvation Army volunteer whose youthfulness somehow connected with the children and youngsters that arrived at the Lihu‘e Corps.

Edwin Furumoto could not contain his smile after she helped him load a new bicycle onto the family pickup.

Suzanne Pearson was another volunteer who has been spearheading distributions for Kaua‘i’s needy for a long time.

“I haven’t cried, yet,” she said between moving gifts from the chapel to the pickup point. “Every year I cry, but so far I haven’t cried, yet.”

Clement said this year he heard about two young boys who had been saving up all year to buy themselves some gifts for Christmas.

But when they found out about the needy people while at church, the boys decided they would not get gifts this year. Instead, they turned over their savings so other people could enjoy some brightness during the holidays.

“That is really something,” Clement said. “This is the aloha spirit that makes Kaua‘i special. This is Kaua‘i. This is what the season is all about.”