photo courtesy Hilton Waikoloa Village

(BIVN) – Hilton Waikoloa Village is helping guests and employees to fulfill wishes for Special Olympics athletes, by hosting “giving trees” on property all season long.

The resort, along with the The Waikoloa Foundation and its partners, is also donating food and funds to Hawaiʻi island families in need.

From the Hilton Waikoloa Village:

This holiday season, Hilton Waikoloa Village supports local nonprofits through donations and on-property activations. The resort has donated $1,000 to The Food Basket, a locally-based organization that focuses on feeding the hungry on Hawaii Island. In addition, the resort is hosting “giving trees” on property all season long in partnership with Special Olympics Hawaii. The giving trees allow guests, visitors and employees to fulfill “wishes” for Special Olympics athletes.

In concert with Waikoloa Beach Resort, Hilton Waikoloa Village participated in the area-wide food and fund drive to benefit The Food Basket. The $1,000 donation will go toward supporting the operation of The Food Basket’s island-wide services, including supporting its two food warehouses. These warehouses store food donations and serve as the point from which the donations are delivered to those who need it most. The $1,000 check was presented to a Waikoloa Beach Resort representative for delivery to The Food Basket during a ceremony on Dec. 20.

In addition, guests and visitors can spread holiday cheer by fulfilling a “wish” for a Special Olympics athlete at a giving tree on property at Hilton Waikoloa Village. These two beautifully decorated Christmas trees feature snowflake ornaments and mini gift bags which contain a QR code. The main giving tree is located in the main lobby, and when the code is scanned, it leads to a list of Christmas wishes from special Olympics athletes. Guests can then choose to fulfill one of the wishes – which includes sporting equipment and other items requested by the athletes. The second giving tree is in the Team Member café where Hilton team members are granting wishes in their spirit of generosity. Individual athletes are notified as their wishes are fulfilled.

In November, Hilton Waikoloa Village also donated 100 Thanksgiving meals to individuals and families in need. The meals were distributed through a joint effort lead by Waikoloa Community Church with support from Hilton Waikoloa Village, Marriot, and Salvation Army. Overall, the meal service delivered more than 320 meals along with extra servings of side dishes.

“We’re so glad to be able to support the missions of Special Olympics Hawaii, The Food Basket, and Salvation Army,” said Simon Amos, hotel manager at Hilton Waikoloa Village. “They are doing crucial work in our community, and we hope that these donations and efforts will bring some extra joy to many this holiday season.”

The holiday donations cap off a year of supporting important community causes through generosity. This year, Hilton Waikoloa Village also donated 1,000 used linens and towels to Three Ring Ranch, an exotic animal sanctuary located on five acres above the Kona area. The towels are being used in the care of hundreds of exotic animals and support Three Ring Ranch’s mission.

According to the Waikoloa Foundation, the second Waikoloa Holiday Food Drive resulted in the collection of “enough food to fill Santa’s sleigh” as well as a total of $4,500 in additional monetary donations to support The Food Basket, Hawaiʻi Island’s Food Bank.

The donations included gifts from:

• The Waikoloa Foundation ($1,000)
• Hilton Waikoloa Village ($1,000)
• Marriott Vacation Club ($500)
• King’s Shops ($1,000)
• Queen’s Marketplace ($1,000)