• David Sayre

The Salvation Army to staff on-site assistance office at Marco Polo condominium

HONOLULU (Sept. 26, 2017) – The Salvation Army’s Family Services Office, which has been providing aid to residents affected by the recent Marco Polo condominium fire, will staff a special on-site assistance office at the condominium for two days later this week to reach additional residents. Hours of operation will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sept. 29 and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sept. 30.

Services provided include rental and housing assistance, food, clothing, and emotional and spiritual care. Marco Polo residents or their families can request these services in person next week at the on-site office. In addition, they can contact The Salvation Army’s Family Services Office directly by calling 808-800-4330 or by clicking the “get help” link on the organization’s website at hawaii.salvationarmy.org. 

“A crisis at home can be overwhelming; that’s why we are continuing our assistance at Marco Polo,” said Anna Stone, Director of The Salvation Army’s Family Services Office and Pathway of Hope. “Not only do residents have the ongoing needs of daily food, shelter, and emotional and spiritual care, but also they have extended financial needs in terms of rental assistance and basic items. We also ask the public for additional monetary donations for our Family Services Office for assistance.” 

Donations have helped The Salvation Army permanently house eight households and stabilize an additional four households via long-time community partner Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts/Sheraton Princess Kaiulani. The State of Hawaii also waived the transient accommodations tax on the hotel rooms, furthering the assistance The Salvation Army has been able to provide to the Marco Polo residents.

Stone continued, “by being on-site again, we hope to reach additional residents-in-need, including displaced families from the 25th, 26th and 27th floors of the building. We also are able to provide referrals to partner agencies for any needs residents may have that are beyond our scope of work.”

For details on how the public can help, visit hawaii.salvationarmy.org and click on the “Donate Now” link. The Salvation Army uses 100 percent of all donations designated ‘disaster relief’ in support of disaster operations. The Salvation Army has raised approximately $40,000 in monetary donations to date for disaster relief assistance for Marco Polo residents affected by the July 2017 fire.

Although The Salvation Army is not requesting in-kind goods donations at this time, gifts of gently-used household goods, clothing, etc., are always needed by Salvation Army Family Stores to support their work in the local community. Find out more at SAtruck.org.
 
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About The Salvation Army – Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division
The Salvation Army – Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division covers the state of Hawaii and the Pacific Islands including Guam, Republic of the Marshall Islands and The Federated States of Micronesia. The Division offers a wide variety of programs throughout the islands including: adult day health services; affordable senior housing; at-risk youth services and housing; camp & conference center; family stores; food distribution and feeding programs; homeless services; The Kroc Center – Hawaii’s largest community center; preschools & day care services; social services – emergency assistance; substance abuse treatment; and work therapy & rehabilitation services. For more information, call 808-988-2136, visit www.hawaii.salvationarmy.org, or follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.