Requests for help through The Garden Island/Zonta Christmas Fund come through the social service agencies that work with the Zonta Club of Kauai.
Sometimes, we get a phone call or a letter requesting help for a specific person who isn’t in the radar of those agencies.
One such letter arrived this week.
It was long and detailed about struggles of a woman who lives in Lihue. We can’t repeat the entire letter here, but here are some of the excerpts so you the idea.
She has life-threatening allergies and has a hard time breathing.
She is on lots of medications that have side effects.
She has been recovering from a car accident.
She gets $388 a month in disability and also gets food stamps.
She lives alone.
“I would love to see her get help and get cheered up,” wrote the person who sent the letter. “She told me she really wants CBD oil, she feels it will help her. If that is anything Zonta or any agency would help with, that would be great. It could bring her help and healing.”
“I am concerned about this tenant and would love to see her get help, please.”
We can only promise to do what we can for her.
Our community can help her, and others in similar situations, with a donation to the Garden Island/Zonta Christmas Fund, which helps hundreds of families have a bright Christmas.
Families apply for assistance through social service agencies, which in turn connect with the Zonta Club of Kauai. It uses donations to buy gift certificates for those in need, which are distributed to the families by Christmas. The certificates can be used for gifts and groceries.
The Garden Island newspaper shares daily stories about those who could use assistance this holiday season. While the names are not real, the situations described are.
This year received a boost thanks to the generosity of the Hale Uluwehi Kauai Fund, which has pledged to match donations of $100 or more up to $10,000, which means your gift to help those with little is doubled. The community already matched the fund’s $5,000 offer, so it was increased.
There are no administrators collecting salaries. This program is run by volunteers, people like Yoshiko “Dimples” Kano, who at 92 remains at the helm of the Christmas fund.
Only monetary donations are accepted. Checks, payable to Zonta Club of Kauai Foundation, can be mailed to P.O. Box 3032, Lihue, HI 96766.
For more information, call 822-4517.
Some upcoming fundraisers for the Christmas Fund include:
w The Ocean Course at Hokuala is offering a chance for ladies to learn about golf while contributing to a holiday program to help those in need. Kellie Hines, PGA golf professional at the Ocean Course at Hokuala, will be holding a workshop on golf basics from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 17. Cost is $20. To register, call 241-6000.
