Ready to Learn 2026
Helping Hands Hawaii
Helping Hands Hawai’i’s Ready to Learn initiative is back to support local students with the school supplies they need for the year ahead. This year, the program aims to distribute 3,000 backpacks filled with essential school supplies to students entering kindergarten through 12th grade.
Want to get involved with our Ready to Learn distribution events? Please reach out to volunteer@helpinghandshawaii.org if interested!
Volunteer Duties
- Directing traffic/visitors to the cafeteria
- Check-in table – Checking in registered clients, confirming they are on the list to pick up backpacks and confirming how many they will receive.
- Thank you station – Clients (and if they have their keiki) will draw or write a thank you card. Volunteers will collect the card and stick it on the whiteboard.
- Walk-in applications – Volunteers will assist the HHH team at the walk-in tables and help process walk-in applications. (Volunteers should be tech savvy & communicate well).
- Distribution/Handing out backpacks – Volunteers will help stock the backpacks on the table, make sure bags and contents in the bag are not damaged, verify number of backpacks the client will receive before distributing to client. If the client has a large amount of backpacks to carry out, volunteers will be asked to help carry some out to their vehicle. Volunteers should be able to lift, bend, carry a minimum of 10lbs. Collect surveys
- Set up and break down
Requirements
- Complete a Volunteer Application
- Comply to a Background & Sex Offender check
- Watch our orientation and training videos
Helping Hands Hawaii
About the organizer
It is the mission of Helping Hands Hawai‘i® to provide critical social services to improve people’s quality of life and empower them on their path to a better tomorrow.
For thousands of local families and individuals each year, Helping Hands Hawai‘i means the difference between hope and despair, between sickness and health, between stagnation and growth. For these families and individuals, Helping Hands Hawai‘i defines a new quality of life — a chance to overcome the obstacles that block the way to meeting their full potential. It is the mission of Helping Hands Hawai‘i to develop community self-sufficiency and resilience by providing guidance, household goods and opportunities for empowerment and connection.
Helping Hands Hawai‘i® was officially incorporated in 1974 and evolved from the establishment of the Honolulu Council of Social Agencies’ Volunteer Placement Bureau in 1941. With a mission to connect individuals, families, and organizations with essential human and material resources, Helping Hands Hawai‘i® continues today to provide a vital lifeline for our local community – Helping its members to help one another.
Good For
Accessible, Kids, Teens, Families, Kupuna, Students, Groups, Visitors, Meeting People, Internship Opportunity, Resume Builder
Activity Type
Indoor, Outdoor, Help People, Physical Labor, Warehouse, Customer Service, Advocacy & Outreach, Educational Activity, Event Support, Fundraising Event
Cause
Keiki, Kupuna, Gender & Equality, Food Insecurity, Housing & Homelessness, Social Services, Education & Training, Advocacy, Community Engagement, Non Profit Support
Requirements
Min age 10+ with chaperone
RSVP Required, Minimum Age With Chaperone, Background Check, Interview or Screening Process, Willing to Travel, Closed Toed Shoes
Ready to Learn 2026
Helping Hands Hawaii
Helping Hands Hawai’i’s Ready to Learn initiative is back to support local students with the school supplies they need for the year ahead. This year, the program aims to distribute 3,000 backpacks filled with essential school supplies to students entering kindergarten through 12th grade.
Want to get involved with our Ready to Learn distribution events? Please reach out to volunteer@helpinghandshawaii.org if interested!
Volunteer Duties
- Directing traffic/visitors to the cafeteria
- Check-in table – Checking in registered clients, confirming they are on the list to pick up backpacks and confirming how many they will receive.
- Thank you station – Clients (and if they have their keiki) will draw or write a thank you card. Volunteers will collect the card and stick it on the whiteboard.
- Walk-in applications – Volunteers will assist the HHH team at the walk-in tables and help process walk-in applications. (Volunteers should be tech savvy & communicate well).
- Distribution/Handing out backpacks – Volunteers will help stock the backpacks on the table, make sure bags and contents in the bag are not damaged, verify number of backpacks the client will receive before distributing to client. If the client has a large amount of backpacks to carry out, volunteers will be asked to help carry some out to their vehicle. Volunteers should be able to lift, bend, carry a minimum of 10lbs. Collect surveys
- Set up and break down
Requirements
- Complete a Volunteer Application
- Comply to a Background & Sex Offender check
- Watch our orientation and training videos
Good For
Accessible, Kids, Teens, Families, Kupuna, Students, Groups, Visitors, Meeting People, Internship Opportunity, Resume Builder
Activity Type
Indoor, Outdoor, Help People, Physical Labor, Warehouse, Customer Service, Advocacy & Outreach, Educational Activity, Event Support, Fundraising Event
Cause
Keiki, Kupuna, Gender & Equality, Food Insecurity, Housing & Homelessness, Social Services, Education & Training, Advocacy, Community Engagement, Non Profit Support
Requirements
Min age 10+ with chaperone
RSVP Required, Minimum Age With Chaperone, Background Check, Interview or Screening Process, Willing to Travel, Closed Toed Shoes
Helping Hands Hawaii
About the organizer
It is the mission of Helping Hands Hawai‘i® to provide critical social services to improve people’s quality of life and empower them on their path to a better tomorrow.
For thousands of local families and individuals each year, Helping Hands Hawai‘i means the difference between hope and despair, between sickness and health, between stagnation and growth. For these families and individuals, Helping Hands Hawai‘i defines a new quality of life — a chance to overcome the obstacles that block the way to meeting their full potential. It is the mission of Helping Hands Hawai‘i to develop community self-sufficiency and resilience by providing guidance, household goods and opportunities for empowerment and connection.
Helping Hands Hawai‘i® was officially incorporated in 1974 and evolved from the establishment of the Honolulu Council of Social Agencies’ Volunteer Placement Bureau in 1941. With a mission to connect individuals, families, and organizations with essential human and material resources, Helping Hands Hawai‘i® continues today to provide a vital lifeline for our local community – Helping its members to help one another.