LIHU‘E — “This is for my husband and my grandchildren,” said Arlene Yoshimori Saturday. “No mo’ hotels, no mo’ jobs — pray for me.”
The plea was answered immediately by Roberta Zarbaugh and Christina Ensman, who offered prayers immediately after depositing the special Father’s Day package onto Yoshimori’s passenger seat.
Additional prayers were also packed into each of the Father’s Day packages that included ready-to-cook breakfast, including a box of pancake mix, a bottle of maple syrup, Portuguese sausage, teas, and special face masks created by the Breath of Life church’s sewing ministry.
“You’re lucky,” Zarbaugh said. “Patsy Hamada of the sewing ministry is here today. They’re sewing face masks that were part of the package given away.”
More than 100 Father’s Day packages were slated to be distributed by the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child shoe box ministry volunteers at the church in Rice Shopping Center on Rice Street.
The distribution was done because of the tremendous community support the shoe box ministry receives during their Christmas campaign, where last year’s total came to more than 3,600 shoe boxes being packed and shipped to needy children around the world.
A similar distribution for a ready-to-cook spaghetti dinner was held during Mother’s Day.
“Our goal for the shoe boxes is 4,000 for this year,” Zarbaugh said. “We want to fill the big shipping container. Last year, we ended up with more than 3,600, so it’s just a little bit more to fill that big container.”
Among the people picking up Father’s Day packages, Anela Segreti confused the group.
“This is for Christina,” Zarbaugh said. “She’s dropping off things for the shoe boxes. This is Father’s Day, and yet we’re already working on Christmas.”
“The additional lead time is welcome because it appears we will be living with COVID-19 for a while, and the sewing ministry needs time to create face masks for the shoe boxes,” she said.
“The sewing ministry has been all over,” said Ensman. “They meet every Wednesday for the past 11 years. They’ve been everywhere. They started out sewing face masks for the Wilcox Hospital, and now, it’s going everywhere. Yes, it appears that we need to have them in the shoe boxes as well.”
In the midst of keeping the celebrations separated, Leslie Dietz grounded the excitement.
“Happy Father’s Day,” she said. “I don’t have a father, so I can say it to you.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
