Hawai‘i Police Department
Kona Community Policing Section
Community Policing Officer Leonard Warren
Phone: (808) 326-4646, ext. 258
Media Release
Hawai‘i Police Department’s Kona Community Policing Section would like to thank the Big Island community for their generous support that made the second annual Keiki Water Bottle Drive a resounding success.
During July and August the Kona Community Policing Section, in partnership with the nonprofit organization Aloha Meritorious Achievement Program (MAP), held a refillable water bottle drive in west Hawai‘i for island schools and students in need.
During the pandemic, many schools added water filling stations to prevent students from sharing the older style water drinking fountains, thus limiting the possibility of exposure. Due to this change, many schools have added water bottles/hydro flasks to their school supply lists, which can be costly and not feasible for many families on a budget.
On Thursday, September 7, 2023, officers delivered about 400 flasks and refillable water bottles to Aloha MAP. In turn, Aloha MAP has since distributed the water bottles to Konawaena High School, as well as Ehunui and Konawaena elementary schools. They are currently working on distributing the water bottles to schools in Hōnaunau, Hookena, and Miloli‘i.
The roughly 400 bottles donated this year is about the same amount of water bottles donated during the drive last year.
The Kona Community Policing Section thanks the community for their support in making this drive a success, including BFL Law, Hawaiian Electric, Hawai‘i Community Federal Credit Union, HFSFCU, and Visitor Aloha Society of Hawai‘i (VASH).
