Amara Coon could not attend the Special Olympics’ Rockin’ Range fundraiser on Friday because she was busy helping Rowena Contrades Pagan and her mom, Pat Coon, with the weekly relief day at Ho‘omana Thrift Store, which was flooded during last week’s rains that dumped more than 12 inches at the island’s highest rainfall reading.
Amara Coon could not attend the Special Olympics’ Rockin’ Range fundraiser on Friday because she was busy helping Rowena Contrades Pagan and her mom, Pat Coon, with the weekly relief day at Ho‘omana Thrift Store, which was flooded during last week’s rains that dumped more than 12 inches at the island’s highest rainfall reading.
The Wailua River flooding caused Ho‘omana to lose nearly everything (Pat said she’s got a bunch of clothes at home that she’s trying to wash and salvage). Rowena said they’ve gone through four of the roll-off dumpsters, countless number of carloads of opala, and at least 35 contractor trailers, and there is still more to do.
Mahalo to all the contributors who made sure Ho‘omana could still operate its relief days (Rowena said the showers were still unsafe to use) … the Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i for the fresh produce and fruits, and limited amount of canned food, Ventures for contributing the paper goods, and especially Chef Raphael Camarillo and the Hilton Garden Inn for cooking the hot meal (fish with bok choy) so people could at least have a hot meal.
Rowena is especially grateful to the contributor of a wheelchair for one of their relief day clients, a double amputee, who lost his wheelchair during the flooding.
Pat, who is recovering from a recent surgery, said almost the same scenario played out Thursday during the All Saints Episcopal Church relief day where they have the benefit of the Project Vision mobile shower and Ho‘ola Lahui Hawa‘i team.
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Dennis Fujimoto can be reached at 245-0453 or at dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
