Fair offers families food, fun and hope

It wasn’t lost on Iwalani Kalahiki and her boyfriend, Mark Longboy, that Saturday’s first Convoy of Hope Hawaii "A Day of Compassion" gathering took place in the same section of the Aloha Stadium parking lot that hosted the 50th State Fair only weeks ago.

"It was like a mini-carnival," said Longboy, who with Kalahiki brought children Faith, 5, and Malachi, 3, to the event.

"Which is kind of good for people who cannot afford the 50th State Fair," Kalahiki said, noting that this is the kids’ first carnival-type event. "So this was really nice. We didn’t have to pay for anything."

Longboy recently found a job after being unemployed for a year. Kalahiki is disabled and does not work. The family has been staying with an in-law.

"We’ve been really struggling," she said.

They were among an estimated 12,000 to 13,000 Oahu residents treated to free food, rides, games and even haircuts and portrait photos at the gathering, which was put on by a group of Christian-based churches, with significant contributions by private businesses and social-service agencies.

Event organizers were expecting 7,000 needy people, but they had to start turning people away by about noon, only two hours after the scheduled start.

The gathering actually began an hour earlier than scheduled, said event media coordinator Bully Eastman, who noted that some guests formed a line the night before to ensure they didn’t miss out.

While free food and rides are always popular among families, the haircuts and school supplies tents also saw turn-away crowds.

Craty Latdrik, 25, steered daughters Crena Laneab, 6, and Merry Laneab, 4, into the school supplies tent before an estimated 1,200 backpacks ran out. Crena Laneab said her new backpack is her first. The family lives at a transition shelter in Waianae.

Dave Barrett and Sue Ah Yuen of Kalihi brought their children Pomai, 17, and Kelii, 6. It was the first haircuts for the family in a year and the first makeovers ever for Ah Yuen and Pomai.

The family appreciated the effort.

"Especially during this time, when money is tight," said Ah Yuen, who was recently laid off.

"You can have a job, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that job is doing enough," said Barrett, a security guard at a public high school.

Convoy of Hope, a faith-based, interdenominational nonprofit based in Springfield, Mo., joins with local churches and holds about 70 similar events across the U.S. mainland and five countries, including Honduras and Japan.

"We’re just trying to target those that just need a little bit of help, need a little encouragement, those that are perhaps just struggling to get by — the poor, the working poor, the discouraged, those that just need a day of encouragement or hope," said Ron Showers, director of global outreach for Convoy of Hope.

Heading the local effort was the Red Hill First Assembly of God Church, which contacted more than 50 other churches and at least as many local businesses. More than 2,000 volunteers participated, from hair stylists to neurosurgeons.

The Rev. Klayton Ko said talks began last August about holding the event and efforts went into high gear in January.

Convoy of Hope shipped 42,000 pounds of nonperishable grocery items from its Missouri warehouse to Hawaii for the event. Those groceries, which consist of staples such as beans, cereal and ramen, were converted into 6,000 bags that were distributed to adults as they left the event grounds.

Locally, the participating churches and their parishioners donated $90,000 for the event, Ko said. Convoy of Hope’s efforts were worth about $50,000.

The ministering during the "Day of Compassion" events are kept to a minimum, Showers said.

"What we’re trying to do with this outreach is demonstrate God’s love in a practical way," he said. "We do have an area where we’re offering to pray for people who would like prayer. We don’t force it. We ask them if they would like us to pray with them. If they say yes, we’ve got volunteers there that will sit down with them, encourage them, pray with them, but it’s not forced on anybody."

Ko and Showers said organizers are already talking about next year’s efforts, which may include events at multiple sites.