Wes Hamasaki of 'Ewa Beach and a friend delivered an early Christmas present Wednesday to the Waipi'o address of Sabrina Rivera-Arrayan and her daughter, Kailani, who had just turned 3. The gift was a wooden bookcase Hamasaki had carefully crafted by hand for Rivera-Arrayan and her child.

Hamasaki's friend, Randy Young, a San Francisco police sergeant, also presented Rivera-Arrayan with a holiday gift card to buy children's books to fill the shelves.

Neither had known Rivera-Arrayan, a 27-year-old mother and former Coast Guard petty officer who, a year ago, was abandoned by her baby's father and left destitute, and who has been struggling financially while tutoring students part time and studying to be a paralegal.

But Hamasaki and Young, like others, had been moved by the story of a mother whose Christmas wish list had asked for nothing more than a bookshelf and books for a little girl to enjoy.

Rivera-Arrayan, who obviously was touched by their gesture of kindness, says that since her Advertiser Christmas Fund story ran on Dec. 6, she has experienced an outpouring of good tidings that have lifted her spirits — the elderly couple who have adopted her and Kailani and become their benefactors; the Honolulu attorney who has hired her starting in January; the many others who have been gracious and supportive beyond what she would have imagined possible in such hard times.

"I'm thankful, grateful, appreciative — there are really no words to explain how I feel," she said. "It's just wonderful to know there are still good, warm-hearted people out there — especially with today's economy and the way things are going."

The way things are going had been a cause for concern for The Advertiser's Christmas Fund partner organization, Helping Hands Hawai'i, a nonprofit agency that serves as a clearinghouse for service organizations throughout the state. The agency was not surprised that the 174 families in the Adopt-a-Family program this year was an all-time high.

But it feared the same economic crisis that fueled the high demand might also cause the bottom to fall out of the Christmas Fund donations.

Instead, generosity prevailed. Although donations were off about $20,000 from last year at this time, Scott Morishige, director of programs for Helping Hands Hawai'i, said the $119,293 that has come in so far reflects a willingness to give on the part of businesses, organizations and individuals even when giving has not been easy.

SENDING THANKS

Puao Finai, warehouse manager for Helping Hands Hawai'i's collection center, has been with the agency since the 1990s. She said based on her experience, material donations of clothing, appliances and other household goods for the Adopt-a-Family program have exceeded those of seasons past.

"I was a little worried at the beginning," Finai said. "But people were more generous than I expected. It has been wonderful the way people have contributed to help these families in need."

Some on the receiving side were eager to express their gratitude.

"We just want to send out our appreciation to everyone who gave our family so much," said Elea Kahokuloa of Waipahu.

Her family of five — herself and her husband, Pulani, and their three children — had doubled in size this year when Kahokuloa had another baby and the couple took in four formerly homeless foster children to raise as their own.

Readers reacted to the story of the couple's uncommon commitment to family and their buoyant attitude in the face of financial hardship after Pulani lost his job as an airline ramp agent and was having trouble finding employment in Hawai'i's tough job market.

The Kahokuloas' Adopt-a-Family wish was for a Christmas tree and a few small gifts for the kids so the family could share its first-ever Christmas together.

"We got all we asked for and so much more," Elea Kahokuloa said. "The love and caring from so many people has been overwhelming. The kids can't believe how blessed they've been. They've been busy every day making thank-you cards."

MOVING EXPERIENCE

Morishige said the Rivera-Arrayan, Kahokuloa and other Adopt-a-Family stories represent a colossal need this year. Considering that Hawai'i and the whole country face the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, he worried that a drop in monetary donations might be greater. Already, one of the Christmas Fund's largest annual donors had pulled out because the benefactor lost so much in the market crash.

But Morishige said he was moved by the many businesses, organizations and individuals that stepped in to fill the void.

For example, Steve Gilley, president of the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation, said the foundation was pleased to make a donation of $10,000 — plus an additional personal donation of $500 from himself and each of the five trustees, bringing the total to $13,000.

"We don't do an awful lot of this kind of funding, and so we thought it would be appropriate to step up to the plate," said Gilley. "There's no question there's a need out there. And we realize it. So, we're just so thrilled that we're in a situation that we can help. We just think that it's the proper thing to do."

At times the generosity could be startling.

"There was a man who just walked in the door one day and said he was so moved by one family's story that he wanted to make a donation," Morishige said.

"We told him OK. And so he wrote out a check and gave it to us, and we thanked him. And then he just walked away — said he didn't want a receipt or anything. And when we looked at the check amount, we were like, Whoa! — this is for a thousand dollars!"

Another time he said a man called in to say he wanted to donate his welfare check to buy toys for children who might otherwise do without on Christmas.

"These are the things that make this job worthwhile," said Morishige.

"Despite the severe economic downturn, the community is still giving back and willing to lend a helping hand to those who need some extra help this holiday season."