WAIMEA — Dave Walker needed to be somewhere else other than where he was on Saturday afternoon. Armed with two bells, Walker was one of the Rotary Club of West Kaua‘i members who was ringing bells outside of the Big
WAIMEA — Dave Walker needed to be somewhere else other than where he was on Saturday afternoon.
Armed with two bells, Walker was one of the Rotary Club of West Kaua‘i members who was ringing bells outside of the Big Save store in Waimea for the Salvation Army.
“I really hope my replacement comes,” Walker said. “I need to be at the park to help complete the Rotary Club of West Kaua‘i float for the parade.”
Saturday was an especially busy day for the West Kaua‘i Rotarians, said Liz Hahn, another of the club’s members, as she retrieved a fishnet that had been specially-rigged for the night ahead.
“We started out with the Gifts for Grands, rang the bells for the Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign, and at the parade, we’ll be soliciting donations for the Kaua‘i Food Bank,” Hahn said. “Not bad, eh? We help three good causes — all in one day!”
Walker said the Gifts for Grands involved the Rotarians delivering gifts to kupuna at all the care homes on the Westside.
“It’s just little gifts for the grandparents,” Walker said. “Some of the Rotarians brought along their children that we called ‘Elves.’ The grandparents loved them.”
Walker said the Gifts for Grands was made possible through a grant the club received and was headed up by Hahn, Jim Dawson, Leland Tottori and a group of other Rotarians.
Once that tour was done, Walker and other Rotarians took up posts outside the Big Save store and another outside the Ishihara Market to solicit for the Salvation Army Red Kettle campaign from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Overall, the Red Kettle campaign is falling short of its 2008 goal, said Capt. Mitham Clement while watching Congresswoman Mazie Hirono and Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho ring bells outside the Wal-Mart store Monday afternoon.
“We are about 20 percent short of our goal this year,” Clement said. “But with so short a time remaining before the Red Kettle campaign ends, our goal has been modified so we just collect more than we did last year.”
In dollar amount, Clement estimates they need $14,000 to match last year’s collection. The Red Kettle campaign ends today.
Kelvin Moniz of the Kaua‘i Food Bank said they are really close to making their holiday food and fund drive goals and was hoping the Saturday night parade collection would put them over the top.
As of Saturday afternoon, Moniz said the food bank had amassed about 30,000 pounds of food and was at about $38,000 in financial collections.
The drive continues through Dec. 31.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or via e-mail at dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com
