Kahala Nui recently made an incredible donation of $253,540 through Aloha United Way to support a number of local organizations’ COVID-19 response efforts. Palama Settlement is one of the recipients of this money, which will go to support our emergency food pantry, pantry deliveries to kupuna, and grab-and-go keiki suppers during the COVID-19 stay-home order. Kahala Nui has been a longtime supporter of our organization, donating hundreds of care bags to Palama each holiday season filled with canned goods and home and hygiene products, which we distribute to homebound kupuna in Kalihi-Palama. We are incredibly grateful for Kahala Nui’s inspiring sense of philanthropy and community and are humbled to receive funding that will allow us to continue our pandemic response efforts for the vulnerable.
Mahalo, Kahala Nui!
Link to the KITV news story here.
February 6, 2020 – Servco presented Palama Settlement with a $22,000 check today, raised from 2019 sales of the limited edition Toyota Sport Bag, which launched last year in celebration of Servco’s 100th anniversary. The bags were sold in Servco’s parts shops and were a thank you gift with new car purchases.
Back in the 1960s, Tom Fukunaga saw children at Palama Settlement carrying their baseball gear to a game without any bags. Determined to help Hawaii’s disadvantaged youth, the second-generation Servco president created a program to provide free sport bags to community athletic teams. The Toyota Sport Bag was a hit and, by the early 1980s, Servco was giving away tens of thousands of bags a year. The bag went through several iterations, turning each version into a collector’s item, especially once the program was discontinued in the early 1990s.
In honor of Servco’s 100th anniversary, the company created a replica of the beloved Toyota bag. All profits from the sale of each bag were donated to Palama Settlement on Oahu and Big Brothers Big Sisters on the Neighbor Islands.
Palama Settlement is so grateful for Servco’s longstanding support. The generous contribution will go to support programs that serve keiki and kupuna in the Kalihi community – including the Pakolea youth athletic program, which first inspired the Sport Bag and is still going strong today.
At the beginning of this year Servco Pacific Inc. launched its 100th anniversary limited edition vintage Toyota Sport duffel bag. It’s currently being sold at all Servco dealerships and comes as a mahalo gift with every new Toyota sold in 2019. Servco will also be giving bags away via a social media contest each month.
The bag was first created in the 1960s when Servco president Tom Fukunaga saw children at Palama Settlement carrying their baseball gear to a game without any bags. He created the Toyota Sport Bag and from the ‘60s to ‘90s, Servco gave away tens of thousands of bags per year to young athletes across Hawaii, resulting in a large number of local families still owning and using the bag to this day.
A portion of the new relaunched bag sales will be donated to Palama Settlement, and to the Boys & Girls Clubs on Kauai and Maui. Palama is very fortunate to be a beneficiary of the program this year and is grateful for Servco’s long history of support and giving back in our community.
If you’d like to support our organization and the Boys & Girls Clubs, you can purchase your very own Toyota Sport Bag at any Servco dealership, while supplies last.
*Photos from Servco Pacific Inc. and Palama Settlement Archives.
During the month of September, Palama Settlement supporters are invited to make donations up to $249 with their Maika`i card while shopping at Foodland. Just mention our code #77256 to the cashier when checking out… or look for our banner in the S. Beretania store. A portion of all donations will be matched by Foodland. Check out the video below for more information. Mahalo for your donations!
Please consider giving to Palama Settlement through Aloha for Hawaii Charities.
Click on the image above to go to the Friends of Hawaii Charities site.
Show your “aloha” for Hawaii’s charities! When you donate to Palama Settlement through Aloha for Hawaii Charities between November 15, 2017 and January 14, 2018, we will receive 100% of your donation plus a bonus boost* from a funding pool generated by Friends of Hawaii Charities from Sony Open tournament proceeds.
Visit the Aloha for Hawaii Charities page to see a list of participating charities and to make a donation to our organization today. Mahalo!
*Charities with more than $1,000 total donations qualify for the bonus. Donations exceeding $3,000 per donor, per charity are accepted but will not be eligible for the bonus. If donations are received outside of the donation period, the donation will be accepted by Friends of Hawaii Charities to support its mission.