LIHU‘E — “You gotta eat the kulolo, today,” said Kaua‘i Retired Senior Volunteer Program Advisory Council member Wilma Chandler, Wednesday while helping off-load packages for the Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital Emergency Room.
“We had some while we were packing the boxes, Tuesday,” Chandler said. “It is so good. Take care of the packages because there’s kulolo in there. We don’t want it to go bad.”
The care packages for Kaua‘i hospitals’ frontline workers were done by the Kaua‘i RSVP Advisory Council as part of the Sept. 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance service project. More than 350 packages were created through the generosity of community volunteers who contributed a wide variety of goods, products, and gift cards, including the cherished kulolo in sufficient quantity that every package could have some.
Following the assembly of packages at the home of one of the Kaua‘i RSVP Advisory Council members, deliveries hit the road, Wednesday, stopping at the Mahelona Hospital ER, and to the Wilcox Health Center where 240 packages were accepted.
“The Wilcox Hospital’s frontline workers include the Emergency Room, Intensive Care Unit, Medical Surgery, and Specimen Collection,” said Faith Campbell, the Wilcox Health spokesperson. “They are going to be so excited to get these packages.”
“We are incredibly proud of our team at Wilcox who continue to go above and beyond to provide quality care for the people of Kaua‘i,” said Jen Chahanovich, the president and CEO of Wilcox Medical Center, and CEO of Kaua‘i Medical Clinic. “Thank you to the County of Kaua‘i, Agency on Elderly Affairs, and Kaua‘i RSVP for including Wilcox Health in this year’s 9/11 RSVP project. We appreciate the recognition our physicians and staff have received for their dedication and commitment to the community during these challenging times.”
“The success of the program was dependent on the public’s ability and willingness to contribute,” said Kealoha Takahashi, the executive for the county’s Agency on Elderly Affairs that oversees the Kaua‘i RSVP. “The contributions, many being done by appointment and drive-through drop offs, were overwhelming, and this program where we can show our true appreciation for our first responders and their vital role in the current pandemic response was a success.”
The delivery to the Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Hospital is scheduled for Thursday.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
