HCAP WEEKLY November 28, 2022

HCAP Hosts Clothing, Food, and Supply Drives for Local Families Island-Wide

HCAP Head Start & Early Head Start gave back to fellow organizations supporting families in need this Giving Tuesday. Donations included food, clothing, toiletries, and school supplies.

Program staff then distributed these items to Child & Family Service, Family Promise of Hawaiʻi, and the Institute for Human Services Women’s Shelter.

At Kalihi-Palama District Service Center, staff hosted a clothing and baby supply drive for distribution in the local community.  

HCAP Corporate Office staff held a Giving Tuesday food drive in partnership with River Of Life Mission. Throughout the month of November, HCAP staff donated canned goods, bottled water, and other food items to deliver to River Of Life Mission on Tuesday, November 29.

Leahi District Delivers Treats to Families in Need

This Giving Tuesday, HCAP’s Leahi District Service Center staff gave back to families in need at the Ronald McDonald House in Honolulu. Ronald McDonald House Charities is a nonprofit organization providing supportive programs and “home-away-from-home” accommodations to families of children receiving medical treatment. The families staying at Ronald McDonald Houses are often unable to return home for the holidays because their children are either hospitalized or must remain in proximity to a local hospital for specialized care.

To bring the families some holiday cheer, Leahi District staff members Hanako and Lourdes baked oreo cake and chocolate chip cookies and delivered them to the local Ronald McDonald House this week. Ronald McDonald House staff then distributed the baked goods to the children and their families after dinner.

Programs Collaborate with Blood Bank of Hawaiʻi, Project Vision Hawaiʻi to Give Health Services

HCAP’s Nā Lima Hana Employment Core Services Program, Hā Initiative: Creative STEM After-School Program, and Weatherization Assistance Program partnered with the Blood Bank of Hawaiʻi this Giving Tuesday to organize a virtual blood drive. Sufficient blood and plasma reserves are a vital resource for hospitals nationwide, and demand is on the rise. These donations make it possible for patients to receive life-saving blood transfusions during surgery, cancer treatments, and more.

Staff posted flyers, sent emails, and recruited family and friends to join in and donate blood. Everyone who participated in the blood drive received a goodie bag with sweet treats and informational packets. HCAP encourages all who are able to consider donating blood. Convenient Blood Bank of Hawaiʻi locations are available throughout Oʻahu, and donations have the ability to save hundreds of lives. 

At Leeward District Service Center, staff collaborated with partner organization Project Vision Hawaiʻi to provide a Giving Tuesday COVID-19 vaccination and vision testing site for local kūpuna.

Leeward Community College Students Adopt Kumuhonua Transitional Living Center

Students from the University of Hawaiʻi Leeward Community College “adopted” HCAP’s Kumuhonua Transitional Living Center this Giving Tuesday. As part of a class project focused on serving their community, the students contacted Kumuhonua staff earlier this month to coordinate an effort to help Oʻahu’s homeless individuals and families. Kumuhonua staff were happy to invite the group to participate in the center’s Giving Tuesday food drive.

The students were able to collect nine bags of nonperishable food donations in the following weeks. On November 30, the students and their instructor, Kumu Laimana, delivered the donations to Kumuhonua. The group was also able to take a brief tour of the center and speak to Kumuhonua staff about their role at HCAP and the various programs and services the agency has to offer.