Question: With Thanksgiving four weeks away, could you provide information on how/where to volunteer to feed Thanksgiving dinner at Blaisdell Center? I live alone here and have no family so I would like to volunteer.
Answer: Mahalo for your instinct to pitch in. This annual Oahu feast organized by the Salvation Army is the charity’s most popular volunteer opportunity. All volunteer shifts to help serve the meal have been filled, said Amy Takemoto, a Salvation Army coordinator.
Looking ahead to next year: Meal service volunteer sign-ups are completed on the Salvation Army’s website, via a portal that opens around Oct. 1 each year. Since you must register before volunteering for any specific event, you could take care of that task now, at 808ne.ws/savol Opens in a new tab. You may find other events that pique your interest.
We know from past years that numerous charities serving the homeless, low-income elderly and others in need of a hearty meal and friendly conversation see an influx of volunteers around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Besides the Salvation Army, groups such as the Institute for Human Services, River of Life, Meals on Wheels, Hawaii Foodbank and many others welcome volunteers. Please don’t be discouraged if your preferred holiday date is filled; they need regular help all year long.
As for Thanksgiving, you might check with a church in your neighborhood to see if it serves a community meal and would welcome your help or perhaps simply your attendance. In addition, we invite nonprofit organizations that still need volunteers to serve or deliver free Thanksgiving meals this year to contact Kokua Line at kokualine@staradvertiser.com; we will share the information.
As for the Salvation Army’s free Thanksgiving dinner on Oahu, it’s Nov. 22 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall. All are welcome.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, Kokua Line will continue its tradition of devoting that day’s column to expressions of gratitude, so please keep those Mahalo submissions coming.
Island risks
Oahu faces no shortage of environmental risks and natural disasters, but doesn’t have unlimited resources to mitigate them. Prioritizing projects and strategies, is a community effort, so weigh in now that the city is updating its Multi-Hazard Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan. The plan, which is required by the federal government to maintain eligibility for future disaster-relief funds, aims to protect people and structures and limit the disruption of vital services during disasters.
Oahu residents can find out what the city is already doing, air concerns and offer ideas and suggestions about what should be in the plan at a public forum Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Neal S. Blaisdell Center Hawai‘i Suites, 777 Ward Ave. The event will include hazard-analysis presentations, focus-group activities and lunch.
Register for this free event online via a link on the Department of Emergency Management’s website, at honolulu.gov/dem Opens in a new tab. The RSVP link is about a third of the way down the main page, in red text.
If you cannot attend, but want to be heard, fill out a Disaster Preparedness and Hazard Mitigation Survey online, at 808ne.ws/hazsur Opens in a new tab. (Or access the link from the DEM website).
Among other things, the survey asks which disasters you are most concerned about — such as flooding, landslides, drought, wildfires, coastal erosion, sea level rise, hurricanes, vog and other hazards — and which types of projects the government should try to fund to reduce the damage and disruption caused by these hazards. There are 20 questions in all.
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
