Kokua Line
Kokua Line
Question: Are postcards sent from the neighbor islands to Honolulu still being postmarked Honolulu? Also, do you know why we no longer see the postmark where we mail a letter from, such as Kaneohe or Pearl City? It used to be so interesting, but now we only see Honolulu. All isle mail
goes via HonoluluAnswer: In general, all postcards, letters and parcels from the neighbor islands are processed and postmarked in Honolulu, said U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman Felice Broglio.
"For efficiency and cost savings, we have to ship all items to Honolulu from the neighbor islands, where they are processed on high-speed equipment," she said. "We can do so much in a short period of time, so it does make it more feasible."
However, there are two ways to get a "local" postmark, such as Pearl City or Kaneohe.
Especially if you are mailing something out of state, "The only way to ensure a local postmark is to visit window service during normal business hours and have them stamp it with the local stamp," Broglio said.
Also, in all post offices, there is a small letter slot designated for "local mail only" -- meaning, to be delivered within that delivery area, i.e., within Kailua or within Kahului, Broglio said.
Anything deposited there will be processed manually, including being canceled with the "local" stamp.
Otherwise, all mail is sent to the Postal Service's Processing and Distribution Center in Honolulu.
Q: I have a used wheelchair that I'd like to donate. Is there some group that will repair wheelchairs so that they can be used again?
A: One group is the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Call Kathleen Hurtubise, program services coordinator, at 486-2697.
"We take in equipment, repair it and then give it out for free to various clients," she said. Donations to MDA are tax deductible.
Hurtubise noted that a Canadian client recently visited Hawaii, and MDA provided a hospital bed. "So things people may not even think about" can be reused, she said.
The MDA works with PacMed, which has an "equipment pool" that it also runs for the Multiple Sclerosis Society (839-7686) and the Hawaii Centers for Independent Living (522-5400).
People who want to donate wheelchairs, bath equipment, braces or any other durable medical equipment should contact any of those groups, said PacMed President Keith Matsunaga.
The groups will then get in touch with PacMed.
Equipment should be in working condition or be repairable, Matsunaga said. If it's determined that the equipment can be reused, PacMed will pick it up.
Mahalo
To state workers working beyond the fence off the H-1 freeway in Aiea (state truck No. 7052), who set up flares and cones and helped when I had a flat tire on the freeway March 3. My car was just barely off the road, and cars were whizzing by. -- No name
To Olivia, driving a maroon Caravan, who came to our son's aid when he had a flat tire on Farrington Highway, between Kapolei and Waipahu, at 12:30 a.m. Feb. 25. She let him use her cellular phone and dropped him off at Kapolei Shopping Center. Mahalo also to the security guard who stayed with our son until we got there. -- Mr. and Mrs. Eddie Agullana Mahalo
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com
