PO‘IPU — The keiki from the Hawai‘i High School Rodeo Association Kaua‘i District spent half of Sunday taking turns bell-ringing at the Red Kettle for The Salvation Army outside the Walmart store.
“After four hours, our HHSRA Kaua‘i District President Adrian Puu who owns A&M Landscape Services went into Walmart and bought his annual Christmas donations,” said Tammy Puu, Adrian’s wife and HHSRA Kaua‘i District vice president. “All of the purchases this year went to the YWCA of Kaua‘i to brighten the holidays for women and children in the shelter.”
Tammy said the Christmas donations are based on need.
“(Adrian) doesn’t stick to a dollar amount, more of a need,” Tammy said. “It typically goes more than a thousand dollars every year. This year, it was way over. The kids in the shelter asked for boogie boards, basketballs, fishing poles, skateboards, Barbies, trucks, dinosaurs, learning toys, and more. The shelter asked for washcloths, sheets, pillows, brushes, hair ties, and the women asked for chocolates.”
Mahina Puu finished the day spending three of the four hours helping ring the bell.
“She loves to help her dad shop for the donations every year, realizing the importance of giving back,” Tammy said. “The rodeo kids know just how blessed they are. Colten Manibog was asking his mom, Shantelle Shimogawa, 10 million questions, asking why do we need to do this, and more. I explained all the wonderful things The Salvation Army does for so many people and organizations and he understood the purpose. He said he felt really good about having a part in brightening someone’s Christmas.”
Prison Ministries Chaplain Clayton Sui and his son Zachary said this year, the Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club’s associates volunteered to purchase and put together 20 stockings filled with goodies and toys for children at the Women In Need shelter in Lihu‘e.
The Waiohai Housekeeping Department put together 20 care boxes for the houseless as well as families in the Women In Need Shelter programs.
“The Women in Need folk were so excited to receive these gifts for their clients, especially during these very difficult times we are all in,” Sui said when they delivered the offerings to the Women in Need drop-off site. “The Marriott’s Waiohai has been helping us do this more than 10 years, and this partnership has been spearheaded this year by Eva Cadavona in Housekeeping at the Waiohai. Once again, she and her teammates did a wonderful job. Hotel manager Beres Wall said that his employees are all about giving as a lifestyle. It’s an all-year long thing, not just once a year at Christmas.”
