By Kiara Kam
Special to the Herald
Mountains of colorful cans, stacks of Cup Noodles and cases of Vienna sausage greeted Damien Memorial School students earlier this year when they walked into the cafeteria to get their lunch.
The new year often inspires people to enact meaningful change in their lives — something that Damien’s ACTION team took to heart as it hosted two canned food drives with unique concepts, encouraging the school community to donate in an engaging way.
The ACTION team, a student-led service leadership group, comprises five juniors: Kiara Kam, Ka‘ili‘eha Goodhue, Jarrith Rabang, Maddie Pupiales and Arianni Torres. Last October, the students attended a national service leadership workshop in Kearny, New Jersey, where they learned ways they could identify needs in their community and enact change to help.
They returned inspired to share their devotion to service — the canned food drives were one of the first ways they did that at Damien.
Toward the end of January, theology classrooms filled with small towers of food donations as collections for “United We Can” — the first of the ACTION team’s cleverly titled food drives — began.
February demonstrated the success of United We Can, which was followed by another canned goods drive called the “Soup-er Bowl.” Students who donated to the first campaign could move their donations to the Soup-er Bowl tables and vote for the team they wanted to win the 2026 Super Bowl — the Seattle Seahawks or the New England Patriots.
The team promoted the campaigns through Instagram; DMTV, Damien’s news channel; and posters throughout campus.
Many students liked that donating was mixed with friendly competition and appreciated the play on words in the drives’ titles.
“The food drives were a great thing to have. It was nice seeing everyone work together,” said Weston Maria, a junior who participated in both events. “It showed that making service unique and fun works really well.”
Senior Madi Higa said, “I was really happy with the amount of donations the Soup-er Bowl was able to bring in.”
“I thought the donation drive was a smart way to involve everyone,” she added.
Serving and getting people involved might seem difficult, but the participation of so many Damien students showed that when there is a unifying concept that everyone can relate with, the impact spreads and serving becomes easier and more fulfilling.
“I’m so glad we collected so much, since the donations went to my old school (St. Theresa School in Kalihi). I felt so much nostalgia seeing it again for the first time in a while and I’m so happy we were able to support their pantry,” Rabang said.
All 450 pounds of food collected from the two drives were donated to St. Theresa’s food pantry.
Events like these are where St. Damien’s selfless influence shines through in students, keeping his service-driven spirit alive.
“What gives me hope is watching students take real ownership of this mission,” said Rhea Quemado, the ACTION team’s adviser and chair of the theology department at Damien. “They’re not waiting for change, they’re creating it. When they organize, promote and inspire one another to serve, it shows that both Blessed Edmund Rice (the founder of the Congregation of Christian Brothers, which sponsors Damien Memorial School) and St. Damien’s spirit isn’t just something we talk about — it’s something they’re choosing to live out, and that gives me so much hope for the future.”
Above: Donations filled a display for the Soup-er Bowl canned food drive last month at Damien Memorial School in Kalihi. (Courtesy Damien Memorial School)