The holiday season has a way of reminding us what truly matters: connection, compassion, and showing up for one another, especially when times are hard.
Here on Hawaiʻi Island, many of our neighbors are facing mounting challenges. Families are struggling to find affordable housing. Keiki and young adults are experiencing instability that no child should have to experience. And too many people are doing everything they can to get by in a system that makes stability feel just out of reach.
At Neighborhood Place of Puna (NPP), we see this every day, and we also see what’s possible when a community comes together. This season, there are a few meaningful ways you can make a difference before the year ends and help set the foundation for hope and stability in 2026 and beyond.
Why Giving Matters
These are difficult times. But when we lift each other up, we rise together.
NPP walks alongside families, individuals, and youth who are facing hardship and insecurity. For some, support looks like securing stable housing. For others, it’s employment assistance, emergency shelter, replacing vital documents, or simply having someone believe in them during a tough season.
Your support helps restore dignity, confidence, and hope. And right now, the need is growing faster than ever. That’s why your generosity this holiday season truly matters. Make your tax-deductible donations by December 31, 2025, to support our mission and have your gift considered for the 2025 tax year.
Ways to Give
1. Lift Hawaiʻi Higher | Year-End Giving Challenge
One of our two currently active fundraisers is Lift Hawaiʻi Higher, a special year-end giving challenge fueled by the heart of our team.
This campaign is a peer-to-peer fundraising competition among NPP staff, all working toward one shared goal: raising $15,000 to directly support families, individuals, and youth across Hawaiʻi Island.
How it works:
- Consider giving $15 or more — a small gift that can make a big impact.
- You can choose to credit your donation to a specific NPP team member or simply give to the campaign as a whole.
- Every dollar helps neighbors find stability and keeps hope alive in our community.
2. Sponsor a Hale at Hale ʻIki
If you’re looking for another way to make an impact, Sponsor a Hale at Hale ʻIki, our other currently active fundraiser, is a fantastic opportunity.
Hale ʻIki is NPP’s Family Assessment Center in Puna, an emergency shelter made up of 10 micro-units (hale) where families experiencing homelessness can stabilize, heal, and take steps toward permanent housing. Beyond shelter, families receive access to shared facilities and 24/7 support from compassionate staff. It’s a place where keiki laughter still fills the air and a place where hope lives.
Sponsorship options:
- $200 per month for one hale in 2026
- $2,400 one-time sponsorship for the entire year per hale
Your sponsorship helps cover essentials like bedding, hygiene supplies, rental applications, document replacements, and move-in costs while also maintaining a safe, nurturing environment where families can rebuild with dignity.
With only 10 hale available, sponsorships are limited. By sponsoring a hale, you’re becoming part of the solution to ending family homelessness in Hawaiʻi County.
3. Give Anytime Through Our General Donation Page
In addition to our active campaigns, you can always support Neighborhood Place of Puna through our year-round donation page.
These flexible donations allow us to respond where the need is greatest, whether that’s housing support, emergency assistance, youth services, or essential resources for families in crisis. It’s one of the most effective ways to help us meet our community where they are, when they need it most.
All donations are tax-deductible and directly support Hawaiʻi Island residents.
Can’t Give Financially? You Still Make a Difference.
If a financial contribution isn’t possible right now, your voice still matters.
Sharing our posts, campaigns, and stories with your network helps spread awareness, expand our reach, and connect more people to the work happening right here in our community. Sometimes, that simple act of sharing is what leads someone else to give or reminds a neighbor that help exists.
Community care takes many forms.
When you give this holiday season, you’re reminding families, keiki, and young people that they are not alone, and that brighter days are possible.
Mahalo nui loa for your generosity, your compassion, and your belief in community. Together, we can Lift Hawaiʻi Higher and bring hope and stability into 2025 and beyond.