The Salvation Army hot-meal service includes oral-health items

LIHU‘E — Allen Huber of Project Vision Hawai‘i Hi‘ehi‘e mobile-hot-shower unit did not refuse the boxes of plastic bags offered by Dave Sharma of the state Department of Health Kaua‘i District Health Office Tuesday during the hot-meal service provided by The Salvation Army Lihu‘e Corps at the corps’ Hardy Street headquarters.

“Are you kidding?” Huber said. “These are like gold. People use them for security, especially for medical items.”

The boxes of plastic bags were left over from the delivery of approximately 2,000 tubes of four-ounce toothpaste and 2,000 toothbrushes that were delivered by Sharma and Richard Stevens, he a master’s degree candidate at Grand Canyon University majoring in nursing with an emphasis on public health.

“These oral-health items are very welcomed,” said Huber. “Budgets are beginning to run low, so any kind of help we can find or get is definitely appreciated. It’s like the All Saints Episcopal Church in Kapa‘a, where they just provided us with a hundred bars of soap. We definitely can use the help.”

Sharma said the oral-health products are being provided through a grant from the Kaua‘i Oral Health Network.

“We received a pallet Friday that had about a half a ton of toothpaste and toothbrushes,” Sharma said. “We started delivering to about 10 different agencies, including Project Vision and Ho‘ola Lahui Hawai‘i that work with the homeless population. This shipment was targeted for the homeless.”

In addition to the drop at the Project Vision Hi‘ehi‘e mobile-shower unit, the team from the Kaua‘i District Health Office also provided products to Ho‘ola Lahui Hawai‘i that was providing assistance to The Salvation Army Lihu‘e Corps with its tobacco-cessation program and free COVID-19 tests.

Susan Oshiro-Taogoshi of Ho‘ola Lahui Hawai‘i said they will be offering a free vaccination clinic for those aged 5 and older Saturday morning from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. during the Back to School Bash school-supplies giveaway at Kukui Grove Center in Lihu‘e.

“Don’t forget to bring your vaccination card,” Oshiro-Taogoshi said. “Especially for those getting their second doses or boosters.”