Letter from the students of the Leadership Training Program:
The students of the Leadership Training Program at Honoka‘a High School would like to thank all of those who made our annual community Thanksgiving dinner possible. The dinner, hosted and sponsored in part by Honoka‘a High School, was held at the school cafeteria on Wednesday, Nov. 25.
This Thanksgiving dinner is one of several service projects planned and implemented for the community through the leadership students’ practice of student leadership and the practice of kahiau: doing without expecting anything in return. The event provided a free turkey dinner to all who attended. Turkeys purchased with donations to the event were prepared by the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel. There were door prizes for those in attendance including special bags for children. The event was an opportunity for the school and community to come together for a celebration of thanks and gratitude.
Meals were delivered to the homebound in the Honoka‘a area, which includes Honoka‘a, Kukuihaele, Haina, Pa‘auhau, Kalopa and Pa‘auilo, and those homebound who request this service. The Hamakua Lions Club assisted with home deliveries. We were able to distribute about 945 turkey dinners this year, including more than 300 to shut-ins in our community. In addition we were also able to provide approximately 50 meals to homeless in Hilo.
The Thanksgiving dinner was made possible through generous donations from school classes and clubs, Aloha Care, Paniolo Country Inn, Rep. Mark Nakashima, Sen. Lorraine Inouye, Hamakua Energy Partners, Honoka‘a Business Association, Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union, HLP Hawaii Community Foundation, Hamakua Police Department as well as other community organizations, individuals, and the fundraising efforts of the students of the Leadership Training Program.
We would like to express our humble gratitude to all those who contributed to this dinner. Many hands working together helped to make it happen. Without the generosity of these community members, this dinner would not have been possible.
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