Festival gives aid to needy residents

It was the second year that Rowena Ordonez, 36, attended Convoy of Hope Hawaii’s festival Saturday, but the first time she was treated to a manicure, haircut and a family portrait.

Last year, Ordonez stayed long enough at Aloha Stadium only to eat a free meal because the event was too crowded and too hot.

"This is really good," Ordonez said Saturday, seated under the shade of a tent at McKinley High School, awaiting haircuts for her two boys, Jeremy Ordonez, 7, and Laurence Mandac Jr., 4, as entertainers performed music on an outdoor stage. "It’s perfect."

Ordonez, of Kalihi, works part time at a convenience store because she is two months’ pregnant and helps take care of her boyfriend, Laurence Mandac, who recently lost his sight to diabetes.

"It’s really tough for me," she said. "This is a blessing."

She was part of the more than 14,000 residents who received health screenings, groceries, haircuts, and free meals and entertainment Saturday at Kapolei Fairgrounds, McKinley High School and the Kailua Recreation Center. The event was paid for by donations from businesses, churches and organizations to help those in need.

At McKinley, about 100 boxes of clothes were given out in about two hours.

Single mother Jan Zingaro found some items for her sons Ryan, 7, and Robert, 14, who quickly grow out of clothes.

"I’m on a fixed income," said Zingaro, 46, of Kalihi Valley. "I try to budget as much as I can for them first, and then I’m last. Anything helps."

The first time the event was held in Hawaii, in 2011, about 13,000 people attended.

Ron Showers, director of global outreach for Convoy of Hope, said local organizers decided to have multiple sites this year to make the event more accessible to those in need.

"We can’t change the choices that people make, but we can change the choices that they have," Showers said.

In Kapolei, which had the largest turnout with about 7,000 attendees, the entrance gates were closed about 12:15 p.m. — about two hours after opening — because supplies ran out. McKinley had 4,000 visitors, while Kailua saw about 3,300.

Convoy of Hope came to Hawaii this year as part of its two-year "50-State Compassion Tour." The group, a faith-based organization that feeds the needy in the United States and abroad, also holds similar events outside of the tour.

More than 2,700 people volunteered at all three sites on Oahu, and 135,000 pounds of groceries were distributed, triple last year’s amount. Convoy of Hope spent about $100,000 to ship the groceries from its warehouse in Springfield, Mo. The groceries were then packed into bags and handed out.

Bulla Eastman, spokesman for Convoy of Hope Hawaii, said about 145 churches raised about $250,000 to hold Saturday’s event.

He said next year’s event could possibly expand to Maui and Hawaii island.