Response to holiday requests have been overwhelming and the Child and Family Services Guild Ladies are now calling for help. “We’re going to be wrapping gifts and presents today (Tuesday) and Thursday and we could use some volunteers,” said Carole
Response to holiday requests have been overwhelming and the Child and Family Services Guild Ladies are now calling for help.
“We’re going to be wrapping gifts and presents today (Tuesday) and Thursday and we could use some volunteers,” said Carole Kahn of the CFS Guild Ladies.
Maile Carvalho, an outreach worker for CFS, said they have gifts for about 250 children and the results of the community donors have filled the CFS conference room in Lihu‘e.
Margaret Smith, the program administrator for the CFS, said the generosity of the community donors are very much appreciated in light of the 40 percent cut in budget CFS was hit with.
“We have 14 free programs that are open to the public, and the budget cuts have definitely had an impact on what we can do,” Smith said. “The community donors have been contributing for at least 10 years so we can support our families.”
However, none of the programs have been discontinued.
Carvalho said although the response has been lower due to the economic uncertainty, CFS has just a few more requests from children and families to fill before Christmas.
The Kaua‘i Board of Realtors, the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort and Spa, The Pointe at Po‘ipu, the Wilcox Hospital In-patient Pharmacy and the Guild Ladies have made it possible for a lot of the clients’ requests to be fulfilled, Smith said.
But that response also creates a need for volunteers to work alongside the CFS Guild Ladies in wrapping the presents for the holidays.
Yesterday (Mon), the Ladies spilled out of the conference room and into the hallway leading to the room, tables set up alongside a bank of windows and the sound of happy ladies emanating throughout the halls of the former Lihu‘e Plantation office building.
Mardi Maione, a Rotary Club of Kapa‘a member, said every member of the Kapa‘a Rotary Club took one of the client requests, and the Rotary Club of West Kaua‘i is handling the requests from Nana’s House.
“Some of these are so touching, it makes you cry,” Maione said. “There was one request from a new mother who can’t afford to buy a baby seat so she had to borrow one so she could get out of the hospital.”
Maione pointed out one of the baby seats earmarked for that mother.
“We also try to make sure all of the gifts have some food,” Carvalho said.
Smith said in addition to the CFS programs, each of the community centers, Nana’s House in Waimea and Hale Ho‘omalu in Kapa‘a, have their own programs.
She said if people want to help, these two centers are in need of food for their clients. Carvalho said people should contribute cases of canned meals such as assorted soups, stews, chili, pork and beans, and diapers.
“Diapers are always in need,” Smith said. “People can drop off boxes of diapers and the case workers do the distributions. In some cases, people need less than a box and sometimes they need the whole box. But diapers are always needed.”
Carole Kahn, one of the Guild Ladies volunteers, is one of three co-chair for the holiday project. Micki Evslin and Kathy Richardson are the other co-chair.
Kahn described the Guild Ladies as the little elves who don’t get seen, but help a lot.
One of the group’s priorities is to take care of the CFS Quick Fix list that is established by the CFS outreach workers.
“After Christmas, we’ll be doing a ‘Welcome home, baby’ month in January where we’ll be packing baby bags and baskets,” Kahn said. “This is in addition to taking care of the Quick Fix list.”
People wanting to help the Guild Ladies with the holiday wrapping can call Smith at 245-5914.
The Guild Ladies will be wrapping tomorrow afternoon from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
CFS is Hawai‘i’s most comprehensive, private human service organization with programs on O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, Maui, Lanai, Moloka‘i and Hawai‘i.
Services include behavioral health for children and their families including counseling, foster care and residential programs, adult services including employee assistance, gerontology programs and domestic violence shelters and programs.
• For more information, call 681-3500, or visit the CFS Web site at www.childandfamilyservice.org
