Kaneohe Keiki Fill 740 Shoeboxes For Needy

Rachelle Leong (left), Jennifer Bui, Cynthia Okazaki and Kim Rossi of Kaneohe Community Family Center, and Cody Momohara of Chinen & Arinaga Financial Group (second from right), load up filled shoeboxes from area schoolchildren for the firm’s annual Windward Oahu drive. Photo by John Au.

The welcome collection drive called Shoeboxes for the Homeless concluded recently in Kaneohe with public schools filling 740 shoeboxes with clothing, toiletries, food and toys for their needy neighbors.

The boxes were decorated by the children with stuffed animals, artwork and notes of encouragement, and then distributed to various homeless advocates on the Windward side.

This is the sixth annual drive by the Chinen & Arinaga Financial Group. It is coordinated by Kaneohe resident John Au, who is vice president of the firm. Au also gave out checks to the schools with the highest shoebox-to-student ratio, and Waiahole Elementary won $500 as the top collector for the sixth straight year. Puohala Elementary was second ($200) and Kapunahala was third ($100). Other participants were Ben Parker and Kahaluu Elementary and King Intermediate.