The RE committee reached out to Helping Hands Hawaii to adopt 3 families.

Our families this year are all very different, but all share the common desire to give their kids (and themselves) something to smile about this year.

Please feel free to bring in any items that you see on the list, or anything else you think would be appropriate. Their primary wishes are listed below, but we don’t have to stick to those. As 2 of the families are homeless, and all are on tight budgets, anyone who doesn’t have the time to shop for specific items/sizes, etc, is welcome to bring in practical gift cards (groceries, gas, etc).

The one item that I ask you to ‘claim’ before buying is the toddler bed for Theo. Email Laura at laura.goemans@gmail.com and I will make sure that this is covered by only one UU angel!!

I’ve included a little bio about each family along with their wishes. There will be boxes in the sanctuary for each family. All items must be new and unwrapped. (I asked about gently used clothes, and while those are welcome by the agency for its regular ‘giving closet,’  it is their understandable intention to give only new things as holiday gifts.)

 

Family 1-Terry and Theo

A thankful single mom looking out for her son…

In Terry’s words:

Currently as a single parent supporting my son, we live in a 1 bedroom apartment and are very thankful for what we have. My son is 1 and is still sleeping in his pack and play and this holiday season I was hoping for help getting him his very own bed. The budget is very tight and I just want to make sure my son is comfortable. We have a roof over our heads and food to eat, so our needs are met in terms of necessities, but a bed and maybe some clothes would be great as my son is growing so fast and is in need of new clothes/shoes.

Theo, a 1 year old boy:

A toddler bed

Clothes-2T and bigger

Shoes-Kid’s size 6

Mom, Terry says she’s fine and needs nothing (but I bet a gift card for groceries would be helpful!)

 

Family 2-Randalynn, Roth, & Roth Jr.

A homeless family, working hard and making a difference in their community…

In their caseworker’s words:

Randalynn and Roth work very hard to keep their small family afloat while being homeless. Roth recently attained a job but his pay is still insufficient. Randalynn is a positive influence in her community. She single-handedly runs the “donation tent” where she collects clothes and items that are donated, washes/cleans them and puts them nicely on display for other families in the community to visit, all for free. She also brings Roth Jr. to preschool consistently and understands the importance of early childhood education. I hope this family’s selfless hard work pays off this Christmas.

Rondalynn, 28 year old woman:

Size 9 slippers/shoes

XL shirts

Size 14 shorts

Roth, 31 year old man:

Size 11 shoes

XL shirts

Size 32 pants

Roth Jr, 2 year old boy:

Size 3T-4T clothes

Spiderman toys

 

Famliy 3–Amelia, Allen James, Naomi, Hapaki, and Kahiwa

A huge-hearted mom and grandma, who is caring for 4 children and recently had to move into a shelter…

In Amelia’s words:

My name is Amelia. I am a single mom to my 15 year old son and a grandma to my 3 grandchildren. In 2002 I adopted Allen James. He was a drug baby and he has respiratory problems and his mom couldn’t care for him. From 2012 to present I started to care for my grandchildren. Their father, my son, is incarcerated and their mom went on the run. The past few months were the hardest financial struggle for me. I am unable to work as a CDL bus driver due to my health declining and making it difficult for me to do my job. Since I lost my job, my family and I became homeless, but that didn’t stop me from providing the best I can for my family. On the same day I found myself homeless, I got us into a shelter and we are continuing to live our life one day at a time and adjusting to shelter life.

Amelia, a 58 year old woman:

Practical gift cards—ie, Foodland, Walmart, gas

Allen James, a 15 year old boy:

Size adult medium clothes

Naomi, a 5 year old girl:

Educational games, girl’s size 6-7 clothes, size 13 shoes

Hapaki, a 4 year old boy:

Educational games, boy’s 5-6 clothes, size 11 ½ shoes

Kahiwa, a 3 year old girl:

Educational games, girl’s size 5 clothes; size 10 shoes