The first canned food drive hosted by Chaminade University’s Health Occupation Students of America Club was held from Oct. 26 through Nov. 6. In those 12 days, the club collected 575 cans of food.

These donations will be sent to the Hawaii Food Bank, as this drive was to support struggling families during this pandemic.

Kevin Manganaan, who is the president of Chaminade HOSA, said how proud he felt when the community has participated in help donating canned goods for those families struggling during the pandemic.

“With this project being a success, as we raised over 500 cans, we want to be initiating more events like this one, and me and the rest of our board would want to be a part of building a better and stronger community during the crisis of Covid-19,” Manganaan wrote in response to submitted questions.

With the unprecedented times of the Covid-19 pandemic, many families were blindsided with layoffs, pay cuts, and sacrifices. With many people already relying on the food distributions from Hawaii Food Bank pre-Covid, there are an additional multitude of individuals who also need to rely on food distributions to feed their families. According to the State of Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, since June, the amount of people in Hawaii who are unemployed since Covid began is at 13.9 percent.

“With loss of employment and pay cuts due to the pandemic, many families are left vulnerable, questioning when their next meal will be,” Manganaan wrote. “I believe that through teamwork, sense of community, and acts of selflessness, there is no limit to the impact we can have on the families who really need assistance. This food drive is just one way we can help our neighbors in need.”

Manganaan, a sophomore, has also participated in multiple events providing care for families outside of financial troubles pre-Covid. When he was at Farrington High School, he was a member of the National Honors Society and HOSA, with which he helped plan service projects like the annual Make-a-Difference day, where student volunteers help rebuild or clean their communities. The Kalihi native was proud to be a part of growing his community to better standards and looks to push his efforts in the same path as he is now this year’s president of Chaminade HOSA.

Manganaan worked with HOSA officers Rosemarie Maltezo, Elanie Sua’ava, Terajei Pascual, Alisha Chavez to put this together with advisors Dr. Edna Magpantay-Monroe and Professor Denise Cooper. 

“With this being my first year as Chaminade HOSA’s president, the support, input, and hard work from my officers and advisors really helped turn this food drive from an idea to a reality,” Manganaan wrote. 

When asked if the Chaminade HOSA does plan to do more events like the canned food drive, Manganaan was encouraged to put together more events like this one for the remainder of this year, and into next semester.

“After an agreement with the e-board, all were on board with the idea,” Manganaan wrote. “We then met multiple times after to plan out the dates, times, and overall execution of the event. With good communication and teamwork, we are able to successfully execute our service projects.”

Chaminade’s Office of Student Activities and Learning is also hosting its own canned food drive until Dec. 4. If you are interested in participating in the food drive for Chaminade OSAL, please drop all donated cans in front of T.C. Ching Hall Room 106.

As for now, Chaminade HOSA does not have any further events for the remaining of the fall semester. But if you want to be the first to hear about any possible events coming up, feel free to reach out on the Instagram page @cuh.hosa.