Grant, Lions’ Work Aid Mount Carmel

Holding the $10,000 Weinberg Friends check for Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church are (from left) Shirley Kaluhiwa of Kahaluu Lions Club, Father Paulo Kosaka and Kahaluu Lion Liane Garrett. The donation was presented following a successful beautification workday Nov. 22 at the Waikane church by Kahaluu and other Windward Lions club volunteers as well as friends of the church, which will use the grant for its food pantry (no one is turned away). Photo from Bob Putes.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel was treated to a major campus face lift Nov. 22 as nearly 40 Lions from four clubs joined church volunteers to beautify the grounds in Waikane and earn a $10,000 Weinberg Friends grant for the parish’s food pantry.

A service project of Kahaluu Lions Club, members were joined by Pali, Kaneohe and Koolaupoko club Lions for a morning of weeding, cutting grass, planting hibiscus, trimming branches and other landscaping duties to spruce up the church campus for its 75th anniversary celebration (held in early December).

“It was a fun day (if you call yardwork fun),” reported Clarence Izuo in the Pali club’s newsletter, “and a great way to get some exercise on a beautiful day in the country. Some folks really enjoyed sitting on their knees for hours just picking weeds.” Father Paulo Kosaka also helped with hauling, digging and trimming. The workers were rewarded with a much-praised roast pork luncheon by volunteer parish cooks.

Under Harry & Jeannette Weinberg Foundation’s Friends program, projects that meet certain standards of volunteers numbers and time commitment are awarded a $10,000 grant, which they can donate to a nonprofit of their choice.