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Question: A while ago you had information about a lady who started out collecting Christmas cards and then branched out to yarn, I believe, or other craft materials for kids. Does she always do this? I have new and unused yarn.
To respond: Yes, you’re thinking of Marilyn Gilbert from Kailua, and she still works year-round with other volunteers decorating shoeboxes and filling them with gifts for needy children around the world. The shoeboxes are distributed by Operation Christmas Child, a program of the evangelical humanitarian group Samaritan’s Purse. Readers continue to ask about Gilbert year after year, hoping to recycle materials that might otherwise go to waste. She appreciates the support, expressing her thanks in an email last week:
“I thought your incredibly generous readers might be blessed to learn that Franklin Graham, leader of Samaritan’s Purse, has taken many medical volunteers to Poland, Moldova, Hungary and Ukraine, to set up camps for refugees and hospitals for Ukrainians fleeing the scourge caused by the horrific invasion of the Russian army….Franklin also took 660,000 shoeboxes to distribute to the thousands of Ukrainian children, many of whom were orphaned the month May God bless you and your readers who have been part of these shoeboxes through their kind ongoing donations.
The donated items are used to make fun and useful items for the young recipients or to decorate the shoeboxes that contain the gifts. Gilbert said she still accepts:
>> Yarn, which is knitted or crocheted into hats, scarves and handbags
>> Fabric used to make mini quilts, girls skirts, boys shorts, drawstring bags and backpacks
>> New and unused stationery, notepads, stickers and calendars (year doesn’t matter)
>> Empty, clean prescription bottles, which are turned into sewing kits
>> Sewing notions (thread, safety pins, buttons, beads, etc.) for sewing kits
>> Only the fronts of recycled greeting cards (Christmas or other holidays), without written messages. This is the element that brought us to Gilbert in 2016, as readers hated throwing away Christmas cards they received and looked for ways to reuse them.)
To contact Gilbert, email gil.aloha@hawaiian tel.net, call 808-261-6087, or write 247 Akiohala St. Kailua, HI 96734. Email is preferred.
Q: When is Summer Fun registration?
A: Registration is scheduled for May 14, in person at the location the child will be attending, according to the Honolulu County Department of Parks and Recreation, which operates the recreation program. See details on the DPR website, honolulu.gov/parks/.
Q: Will the vaccination posts (Blaisdell/Pier 1) be set up again to administer the second booster?
A: No, there is no indication that mass vaccination clinics will reopen. The state Department of Health says COVID-19 vaccines are readily available at pharmacies, community health centers, doctor’s offices and other facilities. Use the location tool to hawaii covid19.com/vaccine/ to find your most convenient option.
“If at least four months have passed since their first booster, people over the age of 50, 12 or older with weakened immune systems, or those who have received primary and booster doses of the Johnson vaccine & Johnson, may receive a second booster shot from Pfizer or Moderna,” according to the DOH website.
Q: Are all public libraries still closed on Wednesdays?
A: No. These pandemic-related closures ended on March 2. You can find the hours of operation for all public libraries in Hawaii at hawaii.org libraries.
Write Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email [email protected].
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