HPD Donates Gifts to Operation Christmas Child

HPD Chief Harry Kubojiri presents 136 shoeboxes full of Christmas presents donated by police department personnel to Nell Quay, Operation Christmas Child area coordinator of East Hawai‘i. To the chief’s left is Steve Meek, the island’s collections coordinator for the charity project. Courtesy photo.

Employees of the Hawaiʻi Police Department donated 136 boxes of Christmas gifts destined for children in need around the world.

The boxes were presented to representatives of Operation Christmas Child in November at the South Hilo police station.

Operation Christmas Child is a yearly community project that reaches out to children in need who have never experienced the kindness of receiving a gift. Shoebox gifts are collected around the state in this international effort to assist those in war torn countries or suffering from famine, sickness and poverty.

Nell Quay, Operation Christmas Child’s area coordinator for East Hawaiʻi, said a shipping container carrying the gift boxes will be picked up and sail out of Hilo for processing in California before the presents reach their final destination.

Last year Hawaiʻi Island collected more than 8,300 shoe boxes to combine with a total of more than 42,000 across the state. Internationally, 11.2 million boxes were sent to 110 countries.