For Channalyn Fox Weber, 21, and Chevy Alapai-Torres, 20, spending their son’s first Christmas last year in the Waianae homeless shelter was a heartbreaking experience.

At the time, Weber had just given birth to their now 1-year-old son Cayden, and the couple was struggling to find the means to live on their own after a work accident put Alapai-Torres out of work in August.

“To see our babies being in there, that really broke us,” Weber said. “I couldn’t give them much with us being in a shelter. There was only so much that we could do.”

Weber previously had been working as a nail technician until her first pregnancy, which forced her to quit her job due to the strong fumes emitted by materials used in the profession. Other jobs she applied to while pregnant all turned her away, many with the reasoning that she needed to be able to lift up to 50 pounds, she said.

Meanwhile, the injuries Alapai-Torres suffered took months to heal. And despite being pregnant, Weber cared for his injuries while raising their oldest son, Chazyn, as well as Cayden after he was born in mid-December 2022.

The ordeal also left Alapai-Torres with the guilt of not being able to return to work.

“The fact that I couldn’t support my kids and my wife, it was just hard and stressful,” Alapai-Torres said. “If it wasn’t for her, I don’t think I’d be where I’m at.”

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Fortunately, Alapai-Torres recovered fully and found new employment as a landscaper in early 2023. By October, the couple was able to move their family into their own one-bedroom apartment in Waianae.

Weber recently returned to part-time work as a nail technician, while Alapai- Torres continues to work long hours to support their family.

Despite the hardship their family has endured, Weber and Alapai-Torres maintain a positive outlook in hopes that they will one day be able to provide a better life for their children.

“Even though we’re still struggling, when I think about what we went through, it kind of makes me stronger,” she said. “It makes me feel like we’re slowly going to succeed.”

For Christmas, Alapai- Torres and Weber would like to receive toddler supplies such as diapers or baby wipes, as well as furniture for their new apartment.

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BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR

The annual Good Neighbor Fund, a charitable partnership between Helping Hands Hawaii, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and First Hawaiian Bank, helps struggling individuals and families during the holiday season.

This year under the Adopt A Family Program, 600 families are seeking assistance with food, clothing, toys and household items. Donations to the Good Neighbor Fund also assist Helping Hands with operational costs for the nonprofit’s Community Clearinghouse Program, which helps people with basic necessities throughout the year, at 2100 N. Nimitz Highway.

The hours for Adopt A Family donations (new items) are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For general donations for the Community Clearinghouse (gently used items), drop-off is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.

How to help

People can drop off cash or checks to the “Good Neighbor Fund” at any First Hawaiian Bank branch statewide until Dec. 30. To donate specifically to Channalyn Fox Weber and her family, include the code: HHH-346.

Here is the latest list of donors to the 2023 Good Neighbor Fund:

>> Padosi Foundation $2,500

>> Anonymous $2,350

>> Danton Wong $1,020.80

>> 3 Fold Craftsman Construction Inc. $1,000

>> Melfried Olson $1,000

>> Ronald M. Honda $1,000

>> Diane B. Lierman $600

>> Charles P. Nakagawa $500

>> Clinton Akutagawa $500

>> In honor of Chun Kerr LLP — attorneys and staff $500

>> In memory of Sun, Irene, Galen, Denis and Alex Leong $500

>> Mary Ann Collignon $500

>> Osoki and Ronin Haraguchi $500

>> Richard, David, Mimi, Noah, Claire, Piper, Aria and Laelynn $500

>> Stanley Sugai $500

>> William S. Hunt $500

>> Law Offices of KahBo Dye-Chiew $358

>> John Tokunaga $333.33

>> Sam Yee $306.59

>> Bernice H. Takushi $300

>> In loving memory of Jeffrey K. Watanabe $300

>> In memory of Mom and Dad $300

>> In memory of Ronald F. Hata $300

>> Michael T. Miyabara $300

>> Trystin Lopes $300

>> William Gaeth $300

>> Charlotte P. Chow $250

>> Lance S. Nakamura and Elaine E. Nakamura $250

>> Perry J. White $250

>> Karen Kwock $204.56

>> Barbara Wong $200

>> Clifford K. Nishimura $200

>> Dorothy E. Nakata $200

>> In loving memory of Theodore Garduque and Paul Amor $200

>> In loving memory of Wakatoshi and Aiko Nakamura $200

>> In memory of Calvin K.H. Loo $200

>> In memory of Ernest Yuasa $200

>> In memory of Pali J. Lee $200

>> Laureen H. Wong $200

>> Myrtle F. Kaneshiro $200

>> Clifford Sagara $125

>> Mary Schmitz $120

>> Dana Barbata $102.53

>> In memory of Henry Arita and Derek Arita $102.53

>> Maile Ventura $102.53

>> Pepi Nieva $102.53

>> Bertha Y. Lum $100

>> George K.H. Lau & Associates $100

>> Herman Wong $100

>> I. Robert Nehmad $100

>> In loving memory of Adam and Virginia Moniz $100

>> In memory of Hilo Girl $100

>> In memory of Hung Joong and Ah Lin Young $100

>> In memory of Robert Hee $100

>> Jean C. Warren $100

>> Judy Yanagida $100

>> Lucas McCollum $100

>> Lynn N. Nishihara $100

>> Maile B Davis $100

>> Merry Christmas Haksoon and James Mercado, Rene Catalan, Angelita and Frank Catalan and all our furry babies. We love and miss you all. Jeanne, Richard, Noelle, Justin, Devon, Noah, Aria, Peter and our furry babies. $100

>> Mike Shimabukuro $100

>> Nicole Pedersen $100

>> Patrick Yamamura $100

>> Richard and Linda McCabe $100

>> Rosalie M. Toguchi $100

>> Sandra M. Akasaka $100

>> Stephen Silva $100

>> Susan Gabaree $100

>> T.R. Enterprise Inc. $100

>> Beny Pacubas $75

>> Kaylin Young / Aiden Young $60

>> Karen O. Harunaga $50

>> Sandra W. Linskey $50

>> Merry Xmas $45

>> Laura K. Chong $40

>> In memory of Ethel and Henry Kajiyama $35

>> In memory of Dad, Mom and Dean $25

>> Thomas M. Arashiro $25

>> Bernice Ann Lantz $20

>> Sandy Rosario $20

>> Stephanie Jean Hisano Wada $15.80

Weekly total: $23,439.20

Previous week’s total: $41,808.46

Grand total: $65,247.66

Linsey Dower covers ethnic and cultural affairs and is a corps member of Report for America, a national service organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.