Question: Could you please emphasize that Operation Santa needs gift-givers? Hawaii didn’t have enough donors in 2021 to fulfill Christmas wishes for all the kids who wrote letters.
Answer: Last year, 600 Hawaii children wrote letters to Santa through the U.S. Postal Service’s annual campaign, up from 140 the previous year, but the number of benefactors adopting Hawaii letters declined, to 131 from 140, said Duke Gonzales, spokesperson for the USPS in Hawaii. That means 469 letters went unadopted. Not wanting that to happen again, USPS is urging Hawaii residents to participate in the program and fulfill a child’s holiday wish.
Benefactors can go to uspsoperationsanta.com to adopt a letter, as the program is exclusively online.
“New Santa letters are posted at the USPS Operation Santa website daily at 5 a.m. and 3 p.m. Hawaii time. Potential adopters can check out letters from Hawaii keiki by filtering their search terms (by state). Letters usually are adopted fairly quickly after being posted, although that did not happen last year,” Gonzales said.
A donor can choose one or more letters to adopt (up to 15), buy as many of the desired gifts as they wish and mail the package(s) following the instructions provided when they signed up. The instructions include a note from Santa to put in the package, explaining that a kindhearted, generous person assisted and wishing the recipient a magical holiday season.
For the safety of the recipients, benefactors must create a USPS account and verify their identity so that every donor is known. “The process is really very simple. Potential letter adopters are asked to provide their names, email addresses and their physical/street addresses. If they’ve lived at the provided addresses for less than a year, they’re asked to also provide their previous physical/street addresses,” Gonzales said in an email.
If the online system is unable to complete the verification, “the potential adopter will be given a QR code to take to a post office to complete the verification in person,” he said.
Q: What is Pele’s hair? They mention it on the news about Mauna Loa.
A: Named for the Hawaiian deity, Pele’s hair describes thin glass fibers formed by gas during a volcanic eruption, according to the website for Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, nps.gov/havo.
“These long, fragile strands are formed by gas during a volcanic eruption. When bubbles of gas near the surface of a lava flow burst, it can stretch the skin of the molten lava into long threads. Strands of Pele’s hair may be up to a couple feet long, but only one micron (.001 mm) thick,” the website says.
“Because these strands are so light, they can become airborne and be carried by the wind. They may accumulate in low-lying areas and form dense mats many inches deep. While fragile and brittle, they are also sharp. As tiny pieces of glass, they can become lodged in human skin and much worse, eyes. Caution around the fibers is necessary to avoid injury from the slivers.”
During a volcanic eruption, face masks (surgical, cloth, KF94, KN95 or N95) can reduce the risk of inhaling “hazardous particulates associated with falling ash and Pele’s hair,” according to the state Department of Health. However, face masks “do not provide protection from sulfur dioxide or vog,” it said.
Mauna Loa on the island of Hawaii began erupting Sunday night for the first time since 1984. Kilauea, on the same island, has been erupting since Sept. 29, 2021.
Q: My neighbor is on hard times and not receiving much help. I am certain she would qualify for SNAP. How can she sign up?
A: Eligible Hawaii residents can apply for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP and formerly known as food stamps, at pais-benefits.dhs.hawaii.gov.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
