With the holidays quickly approaching, the Salvation Army is requesting donations and volunteer support from Hawaii Island businesses and the public to help those in need this holiday season.
“We humbly seek monetary and in-kind donations of goods and volunteer services from Hawaii businesses and the public this Christmas season,” said Maj. John Chamness, divisional leader for the Salvation Army Hawaiian and Pacific Islands Division.
“Of particular need, we need volunteer bell ringers to help us keep our kettles out in our Big Island communities as much as possible. Red Kettle donations stay in the communities where they were donated.”
Opportunities for supporting those in need during the 2017 holiday season include:
Angel Trees
Every keiki deserves to experience the joy of Christmas morning. And, thanks to supporters of the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, thousands of keiki in Hawaii will find gifts under their Christmas trees this year.
Seniors also are included in the program. Last year, more than 24,000 gifts for keiki and seniors were donated through the Angel Tree program in Hawaii.
The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, supported by Central Pacific Bank, provides new clothing or toys for keiki and seniors in need through the support of donors. Christmas trees are decorated with paper angel tag ornaments with the first name, age and gender of a keiki or senior in need of presents. Donors can select one or more tags from the Angel Tree and purchase appropriate gifts for keiki or senior described on the tags.
Angel Trees are available at all CPB branches and at many malls and stores. The final day to drop off gifts at CPB branches is Dec. 15. Monetary donations can continue to be made until Dec. 31. Last year, CPB collected more than $158,000 in monetary and gift donations for the Angel Tree program.
Holiday Canisters
Aloha Petroleum will be collecting funds through its Aloha Island Mart convenience stores, located at Aloha and Shell fuel stations on the Big Island through Dec. 31, 2017. Donations will help The Salvation Army provide basic needs assistance to the people of Hawaii.
Red Kettles
The sights and sounds of the Salvation Army’s Red Kettles and bell ringers are synonymous with the holiday season. Red Kettle donations support community-based programs in the area of each island where each donation is made.
Volunteer bell ringers are needed, in particular, for the Hilo Temple Corps.
Share a Holiday Feast
Through Dec. 31, customers at Foodland and Sack N Save stores can donate at checkout through Foodland’s “Share a Holiday Feast” program to help those less fortunate in Hawaii. Those donations will be turned into Foodland gift certificates and distributed by the Salvation Army to families in need on each island where the donations were received.
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Online
Salvation Army holiday programs:
wwww.hawaii.salvationarmy.org/hawaii/holidays
For the Hilo Temple Corps, specific volunteer opportunities are listed as follows:
Bellringing: salar.my/hilo-bellring
Angel Tree: salar.my/hilo-angeltree