HCAP WEEKLY November 4, 2024

Essential Bodywear Donates Hope Bags to HCAP for Women and Girls in the Community

Celebrating diversity and inclusivity, women’s undergarment brand, Essential Bodywear, made a generous contribution of socks, bras, and Hope Bags to HCAP to distribute to women and girls in the community. Essential Bodywear creates undergarments that range in shapes and sizes for all women and girls to find options that fit them best. The Michigan based brand often appears at events and makes contributions to the community in Hawai’i. During this visit, Essential Bodywear’s Director of Operations, Kate Soderstrom, stopped by the HCAP office to deliver a substantial donation of 80 Hope Bags and a wide variety of sizes of socks and bras. Hope Bags include essential items such as toothbrushes, body wash, lotion, pads and tampons, underwear, and a thoughtful handwritten note all packaged in a handy belt pouch.

Many women and young girls struggle with consistently having essential feminine products on hand. Essential Bodywear’s donation aims to allow HCAP to provide women and girls in the community with basic necessities that are not always accessible to them. One of the ways HCAP plans to distribute these items is through its Kumuhonua Transitional Living Center (KTLC) in Kalaeloa. HCAP would like to send a warm mahalo to Kate and Essential Bodywear for their thoughtfulness and generous support of women in the community.

Click here to learn more about HCAP’s programs and services.

Wheels Go ‘Round and ‘Round

The children at Laie Head Start are learning about wheels and movement. From the different types of wheels to the mechanisms that help the wheels go ’round, exploration, creativity and real-life connections are just a few of the skills being developed.

In the classroom, children are experimenting with the speed of different types of vehicles with various wheel sizes and learning propositional terms to identify the location of the wheels. Also, each family created a representation of a wheel using recycled materials, which was then displayed in the classroom. A ferris wheel, fire engine, race car, and so much more were created. The closing celebration of their study was a visit from the Laie Fire Department where the children learned about the functions and safety equipment onboard a fire engine.

Click here to learn more about Head Start & Early Head Start.

Leahi ECS Client Obtains First Job

As Ezekiel was looking for work during the summer, he turned to the HCAP Leahi District Service Center for assistance and enrolled in the Nā Lima Hana Employment Core Services (ECS) program. Because this was his first job, he wanted to obtain training on job interview success and how to prepare his resume. After completing the ECS Job Readiness Training, he secured an interview at local food chain, Zippy’s. He got a call back shortly after his interview and was hired as a Packer at the counter at Zippy’s. After months of employment passed, he was recently offered a raise in his wage. He was able to reach his 90-day milestone of employment at Zippy’s.

Ezekiel credits his Job Readiness Training with HCAP in preparing him for his interview and resume development. In HCAP staff’s latest updates with him, he stated that he is still working at Zippy’s and has been greatly enjoying connecting with the community, especially the kūpuna during his Sunday morning shifts.

HCAP staff wishes all the best for Ezekiel in his current and future endeavors.

Click here to learn more about Nā Lima Hana.