LIHU‘E — David Chung, The Salvation Army ARC team leader, said he was sorry to have missed Santa on Friday during the monthly donation event at the Kaua‘i Resource Center.
Phil Worwa, also known as “Santa in Paradise,” was one of the early drop offs after not being able to locate a shipper to Tonga for his spring cleaning.
“I’m just going in,” Worwa said in a voicemail. “I know it’s graduation and there are a lot of things going on.”
Chung, not anticipating a lot of activity for this May collection, was surprised with the turnout.
“I didn’t think we were going to be busy,” the team leader said. “But we’re already working on filling the second container. It’s been only two hours since we opened and already we’ve logged in nearly a hundred cars. The second container will probably be filled by noon, and we’re going to have to start the overflow. Already, I’m readjusting what goes in the can so we can get as much packed before we seal it.”
The two containers are estimated to divert 14 tons of material from Kaua‘i’s Kekaha Landfill, based on estimates provided by the county’s Solid Waste Division.
“Our goal is to pack and ship as much as we take in,” said Shantelle Rego of the Solid Waste Division. “But it always ends up that we have material in the overflow area.”
Adding to the activity, the ARC team was working on cleaning out the thrift store at the Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital that will be closed while its new home elsewhere on the Kapa‘a campus is finished.
“The boys started working on the thrift store Tuesday,” Chung said. “They were back there on Wednesday and Thursday to clean up everything. Helga Ephan came to pick up the receipt, today.”
Amidst the steady stream of vehicles flowing through the KRC for donations, Richard Koerte wanted to know when the next donation event was going to take place.
“We’re already scheduled to return, June 24,” Chung said. “And after that, we’ll be back on July 29.”
Each of the donation events will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Kaua‘i Resource Center.
Source: The Garden Island
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