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Volunteers of My Very Own Blanket tie together blankets to be distributed to local children, on June 29, 2024, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Photo by Kristen Mauai, courtesy of Church News.All rights reserved.This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.
By Leah Haynes, Church News
More than 740 people came together — both members and friends of the Church — to participate in various service projects Saturday, June 29. Hosted by the Honolulu Hawaii West Stake, the various service projects catered to families, so each family member had an activity that fit to their capabilities.
Children to 90-year-old adults arrived and were then assigned to age-appropriate tasks.
Rochelle Pi’ilani Kaaloa of the Aliamanu Ward, a committee planning member, said, “These projects allowed our stake members to serve where they live, but also fostered lasting relationships for future service throughout the year. ...
“It was an uplifting and invaluable experience to serve side by side with my stake family, and I look forward to many more opportunities for our stake to continue to serve each other and those around us.”
Participants contributed to six different service projects or organizations: Ready To Learn, personal note cards, My Very Own Blanket, Aloha Diaper Bank, Farrington High School and family history.
Helping Hands Hawaii — Ready To Learn
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Brother Richard Hayashida of Aiea Ward, Honolulu Hawaii West Stake, in a wheelchair, helps to package backpacks and school supplies for Helping Hands — Ready to Learn on June 29, 2024, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Photo by Kristen Mauai, courtesy of Church News.All rights reserved.The Ready To Learn project by Helping Hands Hawaii, a nonprofit organization, is dedicated to providing backpacks and school supplies for children who are homeless or who lack sufficient financial resources.
On June 29, the Honolulu Hawaii West Stake provided several backpacks, and its ward members contributed a variety of school supplies. About 60 volunteers worked on this project and put together more than 350 backpacks filled with school supplies.
My Very Own Blanket/Kids Hurt Too
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A mother and her children tie blankets for children in the foster care program for My Very Own Blanket on June 29, 2024, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Photo by Kristen Mauai, courtesy of Church News.All rights reserved.My Very Own Blanket is an nonprofit organization that aims to provide children with their own blanket. On the day of the multi-ward service activity, each ward contributed 10 blankets with 35 volunteers working on the project.
By the end of the activity, more than 80 blankets were collected and tied, and a personal note written by a child was attached to each blanket.
“The most amazing thing to hear was that a day after the project, a child who helped with the blankets went home and decided to make a ‘tie’ blanket for a friend,” wrote Eileen Tanaka, project coordinator of the Aliamanu Ward.
Personal Note Cards
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Children color and write homemade cards to be paired with the blankets tied by My Very Own Blanket volunteers on June 29, 2024, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Photo by Kristen Mauai, courtesy of Church News.All rights reserved.Several children who attended made individual note cards, and each letter was attached to the My Very Own Blanket project.
More than 80 handwritten letters were made over the span of three hours.
Aloha Diaper Bank
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Volunteers of the Aloha Diaper Bank package together diapers in packs of 25 on June 29, 2024, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Photo by Kristen Mauai, courtesy of Church News.All rights reserved.With 50% of parents in the U.S. struggling to buy enough diapers for their child, the Aloha Diaper Bank’s goal is to provide this necessity to low-income families, homeless people and those in crisis.
“Here in the Aloha State, the cost of diapers is expensive. Since food stamps cannot be used to purchase diapers, some families have to choose between buying food or buying diapers,” said Kristy Shitaoka of the Moanalua 1st Ward. “It felt so good working alongside so many volunteers of various age groups from Primary children to Kupuna [seniors], all working together to ensure that every baby deserves a clean diaper.”
On June 29, more 30,000 diapers were packaged into packs of 25 with the help of 60 volunteers.
“I had fun assisting the diaper bank. It was nice that there were a variety of projects so that each of my family members could participate in different ways. I am always grateful for the opportunity to serve,” said Cara Tatafu of the Aiea Ward.
Farrington High School
Farrington High School was in need of weed control and painting. Forty volunteers helped with the project, and in the span of a couple of hours, each of the five areas marked by the school that needed weeds trimmed or removed were completed. Various places of the school were also painted.
“Many of the youth who were painting did not want to stop,” wrote Tanaka.
Family History
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Teenagers work together to find relatives on FamilySearch on June 29, 2024, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Photo by Kristen Mauai, courtesy of Church News.All rights reserved.Fifteen members of the Church and friends of the Church worked on files or learn about the FamilySearch Center for the first time on June 29.
Using the FamilySearch platform, volunteers found relatives and indexed old records.
“While most of the volunteers were Church members, others from the community walked in out of curiosity and stayed to participate and offer their assistance,” said Bishop Stan Snow of the Moanalua 2nd Ward (Samoan Ward). “This communitywide service project was a huge success and allowed the Honolulu west stake members to serve and bless some of our most needy members of the community.”
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