Formerly homeless keiki get a hand from U.S. Postal Service with letters to Santa

The children of Kahauiki Village — a community along North Nimitz Highway of 128 formerly homeless families — wrote letters to Santa Claus on Wednesday, including one girl who asked the jolly old elf for a job so she can help out her family.

“Some of them want to help their parents,” said Joanne Short, whose official U.S. Postal Service title — at least during the holidays — is “holiday spokesperson” for Hawaii.

Another child asked “for just a nice Christmas,” Short said. “I think it’s therapeutic to put your thoughts down in writing. It’s a lost art.”

With the help of Postal Service employees, children — and even some of their parents — wrote their Christmas wishes on paper, addressed to: Santa Claus, 123 Elf Road, North Pole 88888.

The Hawaii version of the Postal Service’s “Operation Santa” program began last year and saw about 150 letters across the islands uploaded to USPSOperationSanta.com, where anonymous donors fulfilled at least some part of each letter wish, Short said.

This year’s Operation Santa kicked off Wednesday at Kahauiki Village but, again, is eligible to anyone across the islands who could use some help this Christmas.

Letters must be postmarked by Dec. 10 with a first-class stamp and legible return address. They will be uploaded to USPSOperation Santa.com through Dec. 15. Potential donors can preregister to begin reading uploaded letters.

“With so many island families struggling due to financial or health issues related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impacts, some parents may not be able to fulfill their children’s holiday wishes this year,” Short said in a statement. “That’s where USPS Operation Santa comes in. We hope that our visit will result in the fulfillment of Christmas wishes for every Kahauiki keiki who writes a Santa letter.”

Donors will be able to scroll through all of the letters that have yet to be “adopted.” But last year’s program was so successful that even Short couldn’t find an unanswered letter.

Sometimes the requests are vague, so donors typically send gift cards, she said.

Wednesday at Kahauiki Village, mail carrier Lamar McColor, whose delivery route includes the community, helped children with their spelling and to make specific requests in order to write “the perfect letter to Santa” so their wishes might be granted.

McColor, a father of three adult children, volunteered to give the children “a glimmer of hope,” he said. “These families have been through a lot.”

The first phase of Kahauiki Village opened in January 2018 as the fulfillment of a dream of businessman Duane Kurisu, who brought together county, state and private interests to create a community out of a former paintball field to house families motivated to work and get their children off the street and out of homeless shelters.

Kahauiki Village has since become a model of a public- private partnership for mainland communities trying to reduce their own homeless populations.

Each family pays rent, depending on the size of their units, but many lost work and jobs when the COVID-19 pandemic took hold.

The Institute for Human Services, which manages Kahauiki Village, continues to try to connect parents with jobs, said ILH’s Allyssa Koki, the community’s manager.

The wishes from 100 or so children ranged from the selfless (a job to help the family) and the simple (a stuffed bear), to the elaborate (lots of requests for video game systems and dirt bikes) to out-of-the-question (a Lexus for a boy who doesn’t even have a driver’s license).

“It’s nice to dream,” Short said.

Last year’s letters to Santa from children across the state were often heartfelt and touching, Short said. One child wrote to Santa asking “for more time with Grandma.” Others told Santa that “Daddy lost his job and can’t spend money on gifts,” or that “Mommy needs help taking care of the other kids.”

Another simply asked “for something for my brother.”