The Rotary Club of Hilo gathered $700 from its members during a meeting earlier in July. The money then was spent on purchasing new backpacks for keiki at women’s shelters, homeless shelters and transitional housing facilities around the Big Island.
The Rotary Club of Hilo gathered $700 from its members during a meeting earlier in July. The money then was spent on purchasing new backpacks for keiki at women’s shelters, homeless shelters and transitional housing facilities around the Big Island.
The Police Department, working in partnership with HOPE Services Hawaii and From Kids For Kids, is volunteering to collect and distribute these items.
“Backpacks have been identified as the most requested nonfood item for charities in Hawaii,” according to the Hope Services website. “This is the seventh year that this worthwhile project has been gathering and distributing backpacks to deserving children.”
“Once we heard about the need, we jumped right on the bandwagon,” said Reese Mates, Rotary Club of Hilo’s Community Service leader.
The Rotary Club of Hilo, celebrating its 95th anniversary this year, meets at noon nearly every Friday at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel.
For more information about the Rotary organization in general or the Hilo club, visit www.hilorotary.org.