LETTER: Councilman Onishi Offers Thanks for Kokua Puna Efforts

Mahalo to all of the employees of the County of Hawai`i who helped with hurricane relief efforts by collecting and donating 809 pounds of food, water, and supplies for Kokua Puna, a drive for those affected by Hurricane Iselle. On Friday, Aug. 22, people gave 723 pounds of food and water, and 86 pounds of nonfood supplies, along with donations of $220. Collected items were given to the Hawai`i Island United Way and the Hawai`i Food Basket for distribution in Puna.

I want to thank all employees who donated from the following departments and divisions: Department of Environmental Management (Admin Division), Department of Finance (Treasury, Real Property, Accounts), Fire Department (Admin), Department of Parks and Recreation (Elderly Activities, Culture and Arts), Department of Human Resources (Health and Safety), Department of Public Works (Building, Admin, Engineering), Planning Department, Office of the Mayor, the Office of the Clerk (Council, Support Services), and the Office of Rep. Mark Nakashima. Thank you for thinking of the people of Puna and for helping them to get back on their feet.

I especially want to thank the volunteers from the Retired Senior Volunteer Program for helping: Sal Hagiwara, Helen Matsui, Ed Madamba, Charles T. Ikeda,  Leslie Mirseyedi, Mo Mirseyedi, Fumi Maeda, RSVP staff, Kaui Paleka-Kama, and Kathleen Azevedo. We couldn’t have done this without you. Thank you also to American T-Shirt Company for giving a discount on the T-shirts that were printed “Kokua Puna” and given to people who donated.

Dennis “Fresh” Onishi

Council Member

Councilman Onishi represents the 3rd District in the Hawai`i County Council, which covers portions of South Hilo and Kea`au.

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