Person after person casually passed by Uncle Clay and our shave ice stand as the alluring aroma of tasty dinner foods and the upbeat sounds of hip-hop music filled the cool Kaka'ako night air. Five, then ten, then twenty minutes passed by.
Were people too skeptical of our radically generous offer: "gifted shave ice $0"? Perhaps it was still too early for shave ice? After months of persistent planning and preparing, hoping and dreaming, HOPA was at the Kaka'ako Night Market to serve 200 shave ice, no-strings-attached, to anyone who wanted one. But not one person seemed interested...
Then, a young man in his thirties walked by curiously. I enthusiastically told him about our pay-it-forward experiment and how tonight was our very first Sharing Day.
His eyes lit up, and he beamed a huge smile, "Wow, this is so awesome. And I get to be the first person? Let's do it!" Arin joyfully crafted his strawberry lilikoi shave ice as he threw $5 into the money jar to share-it-forward.
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| Share HOPA Forward price sign (top left); Thank you board in front of Taste, a new food and restaurant collaborative venture (top right); Group ordering shave ice and writing notes (bottom left); Row of food vendors along Auahi St. (bottom right) |
Soon enough, a couple with great curiosity stopped by, talked to Uncle Clay, lit up with smiles, then ordered two shave ice. Then another. Then three others. Then five others. Within thirty minutes, there was a line of ten waiting for shave ice and a half circle of people congregated around Uncle Clay intently listening to him tell the HOPA story and vision.
The spirit of generosity filled the air. People gravitated to the stand. Receivers read aloud the personal notes written by their Sharer, then proceeded to write fun or profound words of thanks back. The shave ice machine continued to run nonstop. The buzz was out! Friends rushed over after being told in person, reading a text message, or seeing an Instagram picture.
By the end of the night, HOPA served 115 shave ice, receivers donated $220.06, and 31 people wrote personal messages to go along with their donation for the next Sharing Day. Any skepticism from the general public or within myself was washed away: our community was more than ready to be generous. All that was simply needed was the right circumstances or just a little nudge, and each person's natural desire to freely give for the joy of others would surge through and that deep connection to oneself and our one world 'ohana would emerge.
Thank you to every single person who was part of making this 1st Sharing Day a success--especially our Sharers, receivers, volunteers, the HOPA Team, Under My Umbrella, Taste, Kaka'ako Night Market--you made this all possible. HOPA!
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| Board of Thank You notes from receivers to their Sharers |
