Rotary Club of Hilo Donates Backpacks to County Police Drive

 

For the second year, The Rotary Club of Hilo purchased new backpacks for keiki at women's shelters, homeless shelters and transitional housing facilities around the Big Island. This year, the Club was able to obtain 84 backpacks ranging in styles from small, star-studded Kindergarten sizes to rugged camo patterned packs for older students.

 

The Police Department promotes an annual backpack drive, offering all Police Stations as drop-off points for donations.  The collected backpacks are then delivered to HOPE Services Hawai'i (formerly known as the Office of Social Ministry) for distribution to area keiki.

 

"Backpacks have been identified as the most requested non-food item for charities in Hawaii," said the Hope Services website.  This is the eighth year that this worthwhile project has been gathering and distributing backpacks to deserving children.

 

"Once we heard about the need," said Reese Mates, Rotary Club of Hilo's Community Service Chairperson, "we jumped right on the bandwagon.  Thanks go out to Mike Meyers, one of our members, for bringing the project to us," concluded Mates.

 

The Rotary Club of Hilo, celebrating its 96th Anniversary this year, meets nearly every Friday at noon at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel.  Anyone interested in more information about Rotary in general and this club in particular should click on CONTACT US to leave a message.