Hundreds of bags of school supplies were distributed Saturday ahead of the anticipated reopening of Hawaii Island public schools early next month.
Jenee Kahanu decided after being the recipient of school supplies in years past for her three children that it was time to pay it forward. Relying solely on social media, she spread the word that she needed school supplies for keiki in the community, and the response, she said, was amazing.
“I have a soft spot for kids,” Kahanu said. “And when I put the word out, the community really came through.”
With help from volunteers, she filled 400 bags with all the items on the school supply list according to grade level, plus snacks. Donations of money and supplies came from local businesses and individuals, and even from as far away as Texas. Contributions also kept her numerous volunteer fed.
Richard Kimitete provided the Kai Ehitu canoe hale at Old Kona Airport Park to volunteers assembling the bags and on Saturday distribution took place at Kumu Aloha Victor’s Halau in the Old Kona Industrial Area.
Kahanu even invited Little Miss Kona Coffee winners to wave to passing cars when she learned they haven’t been able to wear their crown at public appearances since the start of the pandemic.
“I was so overwhelmed,” she said adding this was the first time she has ever done anything like this. “People were coming through hard. It wouldn’t have been possible without community support.”
Ka‘analike, a small, grassroots 501(c)(3) nonprofit, held a similar drive-through school supply distribution at the Kona Home Deport parking lot. The organization raised money and purchased items for the kindergarten through eighth grade students supply bags including snacks, binder papers, pencils, pens, crayons, craft kits and even emergency crank weather radios for middle school students.
Founder Nalani Freitas said ka’analike means “sharing.”
“Ka’analike is a small group of dedicated individuals that volunteer countless hours of personal time, talent and skills to benefit our community. We have also been blessed this year to have received the support of our local Kona Home Depot and their support has made this project and future events possible,” she said.
With the impact of the coronavirus, Freitas said the organization has struggled to find safe but effective ways to help the community.
“One of the impacts of the COVID-19 that affected our nonprofit is thinking of innovative events or projects that can help those in need and at the same time keep everyone safe,” said founder Nalani Freitas. “Due to the COVID-19 protocol we no longer hold events that have person to person contact with our community members so ironically it’s been difficult to provide help and assistance to our community.”
But it hasn’t stopped the volunteers’ efforts. In March, the group held a care package giveaway at the Hualalai Elderly Housing.
Freitas would like to provide keiki with educational projects such as gardening, cooking, aquaponics and sewing. She’s looking to connect with community members that hold expertise in these and other areas who have ideas on how to provide low-cost kits and instructions to keep the kids engaged.
She is also looking for community input on other ways the nonprofit could help the community. Freitas can be reached at kaanalike@hawaii.rr.com. Donations are also welcomed to offset the costs of the associated with their projects
“We operate with a small group of volunteers and have held numerous events in the community,” she said. “We have purposely kept our mission statement vague to leave openings that allow us to meet the dynamics in an ever changing community.”