ʻO Trang Nguyen koʻu inoa a ʻo wau ʻo UTMB kahi meaʻai meaʻai e huli ana ma ka Galveston County Food Bank (GCFB). Ua komo au ma GCFB no ʻehā pule mai ʻOkakopa a Nowemapa 2020, a ke hoʻi mai nei au ma hope o hoʻokahi makahiki no ʻelua pule hou i Nowemapa 2021. Hiki iaʻu ke ʻike loa i nā ʻokoʻa i loko o ka GCFB, ʻaʻole wale ma ke ʻano o ke keʻena akā pū kekahi i nā limahana a me ka nui o ka ulu ʻana o kēlā me kēia papahana.

I loko o nā pule ʻehā aʻu i noho ai ma ʻaneʻi i ka makahiki i hala, ua hana au i nā mea hoʻonaʻauao meaʻai me nā wikiō, nā ʻōlelo aʻoaʻo, a me nā palapala. Ua aʻo pū au i ka hoʻonaʻauao meaʻai no nā keiki a me nā pākeke a hana pū me Healthy Pantry Initiative Projects i kākoʻo ʻia e ka hāʻawi kālā SNAP-Ed ma lalo o Feeding Texas. Ua kōkua pū au i nā huahana GCFB pack e ʻike i nā meaʻai i loaʻa iā lākou i laila, no laila hiki iaʻu ke hoʻohana iā lākou i ka hana ʻana i nā meaʻai. Ke hoʻāʻo mau nei au e hoʻokomo i nā keiki i loko o nā hana kīhini no laila e maʻalahi ka meaʻai i nā keiki e hana ai, a ʻaʻole hiki ke hoʻokomo i ka nui o ka ʻokiʻoki, ʻokiʻoki, a i ʻole nā ​​māka pahi paʻakikī. Me nā pahu meaʻai, ua hana au i ka meaʻai me nā mea kūʻai aku a paʻa i ka papa i hiki i nā kānaka ke maʻalahi ke kūʻai, mālama a kuke.

I ka makahiki i hala aku nei i koʻu wā ma GCFB, aia nō mākou ma lalo o ka maʻi maʻi maʻi Covid-19, no laila ua neʻe ʻia nā papa hoʻonaʻauao meaʻai āpau a me nā hana. I kēlā me kēia pule, hoʻopaʻa a hoʻoponopono au i ʻelua papa wikiō 20-minuke no ka māla kinder a hiki i nā keiki papa ʻelima. Makemake au i kēia papahana no ka mea hiki i ke kumu mai nā kula haʻahaʻa a pau o Galveston County ke hoʻohana i kēia mea i loko o kā lākou mau papa e aʻo ai i nā keiki e pili ana i ka meaʻai. Aia kēia mau papa meaʻai i nā mea e pili ana i ka hana a nā kino a me nā meaʻai e pāʻani ai i ko mākou kino, ka huaora, a me nā minela e pono ai ko mākou kino, etc.

I kēia makahiki, me ka nui aʻe o ka poʻe e loaʻa ana i nā kano Covid, hiki iā mākou ke hele i ke kula a aʻo i nā papa meaʻai no kahi papahana ma hope o ke kula. Manaʻo wau he ʻoi aku ka launa pū ʻana ma kēia ʻano no ka mea hiki i nā keiki ke komo i nā hana a ʻaʻole noho wale ma laila e hoʻolohe i nā papa virtual. Eia kekahi, ua unuhi au i kekahi mau palapala hoʻonaʻauao meaʻai i ka Vietnamese. Ke hana nei ʻo GCFB i nā "meaʻai meaʻai ma nā ʻōlelo he nui" ma kā lākou pūnaewele e lawelawe i nā poʻe like ʻole. No laila, inā mākaukau ʻoe i nā ʻōlelo ʻē aʻe a makemake ʻoe e kōkua, hiki iā ʻoe ke hoʻohana i kou ʻike, mākaukau, a me ka noʻonoʻo e kōkua i nā poʻe he nui.