Jan. 8, 2016

Contributed by Shaundor Chillingworth

In order to give back to their community and help in the fight against hunger, KS Hawai‘i High School’s Interact Club helped to raise $204 and around 60 pounds of canned goods to benefit the Hawai‘i Food Basket.

The purpose of the Interact Club is to build and create a positive relationship within its school, community and the world. The club hosts a number of events and activities throughout the year as a way to give back through service. Interact Club is sponsored by The Rotary Club of South Hilo and is one of the largest clubs on campus.

Club president Kegan Miura, a junior at KS Hawai‘i, shared that to raise the funds, the club set up a Halloween-themed event called “The Haunted Hallway.”

Members of the club talked with peers and faculty members about the need, especially during the holiday season, how local families go hungry and how the Hawai‘i Island organization helps to support those families, some who may be friends or classmates.

“Word spread about our event where we asked for donations of one canned good or one dollar to enter into The Haunted Hallway,” shared Miura.

“We felt the Hawaiʻi Food Basket would be perfect because they have a huge impact on so many people across the island. As a team we saw it as an opportunity to not only service others but as well as get our school in the Halloween spirit.

“This really touched bases on the principles our club was founded on as well as the many Hawaiian values we use every day.”

Miura hopes that the event will continue to be an annual event for the club and grow to do more next year.

“So many people had a big hand in making this event a success, from the members to the teachers, it was a team effort to get it done,” shared Miura.

“So many members are eager to get out into the community and get involved by feeding the houseless and helping with the Salvation Army or Special Olympics, but I think we will always look for ways to help support the Food Basket.”

At an event held on-campus in December, the club presented Food Basket Executive Director En Young with the donation.

Young, who himself is a 1995 graduate of KS Kapālama, shared that it’s not always the amount on the check that matters and that old-fashioned effort is what’s truly important.

“When I see someone in an up-and-coming generation learn to give back early, I know we are planting hua that will affect the generations we currently serve at The Food Basket and even my generation when we reach our infirmity,” shared Young. 

“The Interact Club's relationship with our South Hilo Rotary adds a multi-generational component and really helps in perpetuating aloha on the Big Island.”

Young also acknowledged the important role KS plays in developing students who will have the values of generosity and service to others and many ways that the KS ‘ohana gives back and talking with Miura about future opportunities to donate time or talent if one isn’t in a position to give monetarily.

“Kamehameha Schools already assists The Food Basket in many ways.  Parents of scholarship recipients love spending their community service hours with us, the ceramics club has also donated proceeds of their work to us, and now we are pleased to be able to interface with the Interact Club,” shared Young.

“Hunger and poverty, the underlying issues, are problems that will be solved over a longer time horizon. 

“I truly believe that the role of [Kamehameha Schools] is to produce young leaders who think beyond themselves.  It is a community with strong ties and strong values that will end the cycle of dependency and poverty that makes agencies like The Food Basket necessary.”

To learn more about the Hawai‘i Food Basket, visit www.hawaiifoodbasket.org.

“I truly believe that the role of [Kamehameha Schools] is to produce young leaders who think beyond themselves."
En Young, Executive Director, Hawai‘i Food Basket

The Interact Club presents a donation to Hawai‘i Food Basket executive director En Young at an event in December. Students raised the funds at their Halloween fund-raiser, "The Haunted Hallway."