Fourth of July just the start of busy month at Kukui Grove Center

Dennis Fujimoto/The Garden Island

Mindy Hibbitt shuts down the Cell Everything Hawai‘i kiosk for the last time following 16 years of service at the Kukui Grove Center. Mindy, who offered some of her display material to Pau Hana T’s for their new location, said Cell Everything Hawai‘i was started by her sister Heidi Hibbitt some 17 years ago.

Dennis Fujimoto/The Garden Island

Jean Souza, the on-site manager for the Kaua‘i Ocean Discovery, demonstrates the gyotaku project for Foster Grandparent volunteer Ihi Kaneali‘i, Friday at the Kukui Grove Center.

Dennis Fujimoto/The Garden Island

Pau Hana T’s associate Richelle C. peels off the backing from a Wilcox Elementary schoolwear, Friday at the new Pau Hana T’s location close to the Times Supermarket at the Kukui Grove Center.

LIHU‘E — The Back to School Bash materials are starting to arrive at the Kukui Grove Center, just ahead of the long Fourth of July weekend.

“The Department of Water drinking water bottles are here, already,” said Melissa McFerrin-Warrack of Kukui Grove who along with Kukui Grove manager David Sosner, watched Mindy Hibbitt shut down Cell Everything Hawai‘i for the final time, Friday. “Wes Perreira and the Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i are supposed to deliver the crasin snacks, today, and the barge containing the Back to School Bash bags is here. The bags are going to be delivered some time, today, too. We’re just waiting on the big delivery of all the remaining school supplies.”

The 2022 Back to School Bash, described as “Kaua‘i’s largest school supplies giveaway,” is scheduled to return to an in-person format at the Kukui Grove Center on July 16 from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. Pre-registration is required for a child to receive a bag of school supplies, and registration opens July 6 starting at 9 a.m.

“That’s the Wednesday after the Fourth of July,” McFerrin-Warrack said. “9 a.m. is when the registration link goes live.”

Pau Hana T’s Carmella Pablo was carefully scraping off the signage from their former location just a pebble’s toss from the Cell Everything Hawai‘i kiosk.

“We’re in our new space near the Times Supermarket,” Pablo said. “We have more items coming to the new space that is more spread out. But it’s amazing because we have been busy from this morning. We have our big printer in operation, but the digital printer is not quite ready, yet. We’ll definitely let you know when that’s ready to go. For now, it’s just 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays.”

Inside the new location, Pau Hana T’s associates manned the printer, cranking out shirt after shirt of schoolwear for the Elsie Wilcox Elementary School.

“There’s an enrollment of about 900 students,” Carmella said. “If you figure about five shirts per student, that comes out into the thousands. And, Wilcox is only the start. We have Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School, and that’s a different color. The madness begins.”

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