By: Britney Aquino
(Honolulu)- Throughout the year, people volunteer and reach out to help the needy in several different ways. There are several organizations that solely participate in the act of kindness, such as, Goodwill, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, and so forth. A well-known organization is The Salvation Army. The Salvation Army is an international Christian donation/help center for human-needs and was founded in 1865. Similar to other donation centers, they allow donations of clothing, food, and also offer other services, like senior outreach, disaster relief, addiction and substance abuse, etc. A few ways that they help the community is by setting up Angel Trees, convenient donation stands, and grocery giving.
Every November, The Salvation Army sets up Angel trees in the malls throughout Oah’u and at various banks to help the people in need. These Christmas trees aren’t just for display; the trees are decorated with ornaments and paper angels that have the names of the people in need. Along with the names, his or her age, clothing sizes, and the individual’s personal wish of what they would like to receive for Christmas is listed. You are allowed to search through the angel tags and pick the angel(s) that you would be able to give a gift to at no cost. There is no fee and only requires you to get one of the items that your angel has requested, no matter the size or value of it, as long as it is new. The Angel Tree usually starts in mid/late-November and gifts are due by a certain date, in order to assure that the precious angels will be able to receive their gifts in time for Christmas.
Another act of help is money donations. Outside of different stores, like Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and Don Quijote, a Christmas-spirited person that volunteers for The Salvation Army sits beside a red hanging pail and rings a bell. The bell-sound represents the season of giving, and anyone is welcome to donate their spare change into the pail that will go towards helping the people in need through The Salvation Army.
Even though that The Salvation Army helps those in need, they also give back. Throughout the weeks of December, they give back to the community by pairing up with a non-profit organization called Feeding Hawaii Together. They hand out bags of groceries to the community at various locations and at various times. Items that are given can range from milk to bread, and ham to hot dogs. One location is at the Giving Tree that is near Word of Life on Keawe Street in town. No payment is required; you just need an identification card and to fill out a form. To find out more information about the Giving Tree food pantry, please go to http://www.feedinghawaiitogether.org/.
