Question: Last year you wrote about a lady who collected greeting cards and stationery for a church project. Is she still doing that? I get small packs of cards from charities I support and I wish they wouldn’t waste any portion of my donation on “thank you” gifts I’ll never use but I do hope I can regift them to good use.
Answer: Yes, Marilyn Gilbert of Kailua still volunteers year-round collecting, making and packaging gifts for Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse, an evangelical Christian relief organization that distributes the shoe box-sized packages to needy children around the world. The list of items Gilbert accepts has expanded since Kokua Line first mentioned her in 2015, when readers were looking for ways to recycle Christmas cards; Gilbert used unblemished card fronts to decorate the shoe boxes and make matching games. We emailed her Monday to ask whether she was still accepting greeting cards, stationery, fabric, yarn and other items she’s mentioned over the years, and if so, how readers should contact her.
Her answer was a resounding yes, as she expressed gratitude for “amazing readers who continue to be interested in sharing their treasures with Samaritan’s Purse.” Reach her by email at gil.aloha@hawaiiantel.net, her preferred contact method.
Gilbert said she learned this year that “the absolute best item to put in the shoebox,” for a boy or a girl, is a new, deflated soccer ball and pump. “This was a new idea for me (I am not an athletic person) but this really makes sense. If you can get one soccer ball to one child in a village, every child in that village will be playing soccer. That one shoebox with a soccer ball will bless many children in the village,” Gilbert said in an email, adding that a Kokua Line reader who had donated other items also gave two dozen soccer balls and pumps upon hearing her enthusiasm for the idea. “What an amazing surprise and great blessing that was.”
Her “wish list” for donations includes:
>> New, deflated soccer balls and pumps, preferably in sizes 4 and 5 for children ages 5 to 14.
>> Fabric to sew skirts, dresses, backpacks, small blankets, shorts, drawstring bags, hair scrunchies and zippered cosmetic bags.
>> Sewing notions such as buttons, needles, safety pins, trims and thread.
>> Yarn to knit or crochet hats, scarves and washcloths.
>> Greeting cards, envelopes, notepads, stickers and calendars.
>> Small toys such as Beanie Babies, McDonald’s toys, Hot Wheels cars, marbles and balls.
>> Crafting supplies such as pony beads and ribbons.
>> School supplies such as paper, notebooks, pencils and crayons.
>> Hygiene items such as soap, washcloths, toothbrushes and dental floss, hairbrushes and combs.
>> Children’s socks and underwear for ages 5 to 14.
All items included as gifts inside the boxes must be unused and undamaged — regifted items such as stationery, calendars and stickers are fine if they are in new condition. Donated yarn, fabric and sewing notions are used to make new clothing, accessories and other items. As mentioned, Gilbert works on this project year-round — national processing for this holiday season has already occurred — so there’s no rush to donate before Christmas.
Q: Regarding the Hawaiian Electric pilot program, is the idea to put all customers on time-of-use rates eventually?
A: “Shift and Save is expected to be introduced to all customers in 2025, but the ultimate determination will be made by the (Public Utilities Commission), based on results of the pilot,” Hawaiian Electric says on its website.
Shift and Save, a one-year pilot project set to launch Feb. 1 with 16,000 randomly selected customers on Oahu and the Big Island, will charge less for electricity used during the day, when solar energy is plentiful, and more for electricity used at night, when it is generated by expensive fossil fuels, the company said.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
