Oink! for a good cause

Artists put the sty in style by creating piggy bank art for Hawaii Families as Allies

This little piggy loves disco. This little piggy loves pearls. All these little piggies are being sold for charity, which should bring them -- whee! whee! whee! -- all the way to new homes.

Great Piggy Bank Fundraiser On view: Through Oct. 15 Opening reception 5 to 7 p.m. tomorrow Place: Kim Taylor Reece Gallery, 1142 Bethel St. Cost: Decorated piggy banks are $50 to $95. Smaller Hawaii Families as Allies banks with a pair of earrings or Lucinda Yates' "house pins" are $25. Stress-ball pigs cost $10. Call: 546-1144

That's the hope of Hawaii Families as Allies, a nonprofit group that serves family and children with emotional, behavioral or mental challenges. The group asked artists and designers to turn simple piggy banks into one-of-a-kind art pieces, to be sold as fundraisers.

Several creative minds went to work on the project, producing one-of-a-kind art pieces in which personality played a definite role.

Kim Coco Iwamoto's piggy bank is covered in miniature mirrors, providing a flashback to disco days. Fashion designer Takeo adorned his pig with fabrics with an Asian flair. Russell Kokubon signed his name so it looks as though his pig is smiling.

And Eric Eugene Kamakahia'ai Chandler used the Bible verse Matthew 7:6 as inspiration: "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you" -- decorating his pig in swirls of pearls and drawing on eyelashes.

The banks will be sold for $50 to $95, with proceeds to benefit Hawaii Families as Allies' family and youth programs. "This is a great way to celebrate Hawaii's Children and Youth Month," said fundraising chairman Greig Gaspar. Not to mention, it's the Year of the Boar.

Linda Machado, executive director of Families as Allies -- a nonprofit organization that serves families and children with emotional, behavioral or mental challenges -- said the funds raised will go toward food for families, stipends or celebrations.

Obtaining the piggy banks was trickier than expected, Gaspar said. "It's actually a funny story." He found a distributor that would sell him 72 pigs for the wholesale price of $200 -- then learned shipping charges would total $700.

Back to square one, he decided to purchase the items at retail, getting a lucky break when Ben Franklin put them on sale. With the help of a couple of friends, he managed to buy all 60 pigs that were available at three different Ben Franklin stores. He got the entire lot for less than $300.

The great piggy bank search was worth the effort, he said.

"We are so happy. People got really creative."