The Infamous Sandwich Story and What it Means to You

If you haven’t yet heard this one, here’s a recap:

Pregnant and hungry, an Oahu mom brought her 2-year-old daughter and husband to Safeway to buy food on October 26, 2011. They bought two deli sandwiches on special for $5 and ate them while shopping.

At checkout, they forgot to pay for the eaten sandwiches with their other groceries and were detained by Safeway security.

Safeway officials proceeded to hold the couple for FOUR HOURS in a break room at the store. Reportedly, police officers arrived after about 2 hours, and they waited another 2 hours for a Child Welfare Services worker to take their 2-year-old daughter into PROTECTIVE CUSTODY. Both parents were taken to jail, where they later bailed out for $50 each.

The incident sparked much debate in the blogosphere and on the radio about whether or not parents should permit their children to eat unpurchased food while shopping. I am not interested in continuing that debate here. What I would rather do is share with you what you need to do to avoid ever being in a situation like this one. Get a Kids Protection Plan.

Child Welfare Services is the government’s plan for you. If you want a different set of rules to apply—if you want to maintain any semblance of control over who watches and raises your children, even in short-term scenarios, then you need to formulate and implement a Kids Protection Plan. Nominate short-term first responders and get the right legal documents in their hands so they can take custody of your keiki in an emergency.

If you don’t already have a plan in place to protect your children in the event that something renders you unable to parent, then you need to develop one now! Call us today to schedule your Family Wealth Planning Session, and we’ll focus on helping you create a plan to safeguard your children when you are unable to protect them yourself.

Join Our Newsletter

Stay up to date on legal issues facing our kupuna and ourselves, such as powers of attorney, probate, and Medicaid, and check in with community members working with Maui kupuna.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Related Posts

Elderly couple holding hands

I’m a Snowbird Stuck in Hawaii. Will an Out-of-State Power of Attorney and Advance Health-Care Directive Work During Quarantine?

When Governor Ige signed our stay-at-home order on March 23, many snowbirds and retirees, who were staying in their second homes, found themselves stuck in Hawaii for a little longer

Two Businessmen Looking Face to Face and Playing Chess

Let 2017 Be the Year of the Superagers!

Scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital studied the brains of 65-year-olds with the memory and attention of 25-year-olds. Their conclusion? Work hard at something. “Vigorous exercise and bouts of strenuous mental effort” may

Obenauf Law Group Estate Planning Attorney Placeholder Featured Post

Why Sting Will Not Leave his Millions to his Children

Sting’s children will not be inheriting his $306 million, according to the rocker. In an interview with London’s Mail Online, Sting said he has told his children, “there won’t be