Christmas fund helps families in tough times

Life on beautiful Kauai isn’t always quite so beautiful for everyone who lives here.

Bob is a single person with a multitude of health problems and was recently diagnosed with cancer. He has been sick for several months and lost his job because he was not able to work. With no income, he was soon evicted from his rental apartment.

Bob was assisted with applications for food stamps, financial benefits and housing applications. He recently moved into subsidized housing. Bob would appreciate some household items for his apartment such as bed linen and a comforter. A holiday dinner meal would also make his holidays special this year.

Anita and her children moved to Kauai from Kona in June. She is a single mother of three and stayed with family for a month. Unfortunately, she was not able to find housing that she could afford and was told that she and her children could no longer stay there. Anita and her children became homeless and were sleeping in her car until September when they were accepted into a transitional housing program.

She is employed full time and the children have been able to attend school regularly. To give encouragement and to help transition to a more stable lifestyle, a basket of household supplies would be great.

The community has a chance to help people like Bob and Anita through the The Garden Island/Zonta Christmas Fund.

Donations are distributed by Zonta Club members, who purchase gift certificates at appropriate businesses to make wishes come true. Each donated dollar is accounted for and recorded. There are no administrators collecting salaries, just a bunch of volunteers with hearts of gold.

Through Christmas Eve, The Garden Island will share stories about families and individuals facing challenges and who would appreciate help.

Only monetary donations are accepted. Checks, payable to Zonta Club of Kauai Foundation, can be mailed to P.O. Box 3032, Lihue, HI 96766. Info: 822-9882.