Three organizations began spreading Thanksgiving goodness early this year, as Northern Marianas College (NMC), Northern Marianas Technical Institute (NMTech), and the Rotary Club of Saipan all donated meals on November 21.
The Rotary Club of Saipan was present at the Manamko’ Center, complete with a full Thanksgiving feast. Irene Holl, Rotary Club president, stated that the menu included red rice, turkey, ham, stuffing, and many other holiday essentials. She mentioned that the organization hosts a lunch for the manamko’ so that they know how much the community appreciates its elderly.
“We want to make sure that the manamko feel that they are important and that the Rotary thinks of them,” Holl said. “That’s why we set a budget and a plan for the manamko lunch every year. We want them to feel that they are still a part of this community.”
Holl explained that the Rotary Club is an organization where business and community leaders can collaborate and pool resources for charitable activities such as the Manamko Center Thanksgiving lunch.
“The stronger the pool [of participants], the better we can serve the community,” she said of the composition of the Rotary Club. She confirmed that Rotarians made donations to the day’s Thanksgiving feast.
“If [businesses] can send a member to the rotary, that’s the biggest part, is to have somebody representing your business in the Rotary Club.”
Over at NMTech, Culinary Level 1, Culinary Level 2, and pastry students spent their morning preparing their own feast, which included ham, turkey, pumpkin pie, and more, donating their hard work to Guma Esperansa.
Ben Babauta, NMTech marketing and outreach coordinator, confirmed that this was the third year in a row that the NMTech Culinary Arts program donated a holiday meal to Guma Esperansa, which houses victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault, human trafficking, and other victims.
“What we did was we used the skills that [Culinary Arts students] learned at school and used that to give back to the community,” Babauta said. “What we’re doing is showcasing that our skills learned at NMTech could be transferable into the job workforce, but also giving back to the community.”
Lauri Ogumoro, of Guma Esperansa, said that the food will be served to around 30 clients in the shelter.
“Thanksgiving has always been about the family,” Ogumoro said. “[NMTech] giving back to the family at Guma Esperansa is really important because they’re away from their families and they really appreciate that you care about them.”
For this holiday season, Ogumoro is thankful for the relationship being built between NMTech and Guma Esperansa.
“We’re thankful that they’re thinking of the women and children and adults that are residents of Guma Esperansa during this holiday season,” Ogumoro said. “[Clients] get to enjoy the fruits of their labor. It’s a beautiful relationship that we’re building and growing.”
She adds that the residents at Guma Esperansa appreciate a home-cooked meal.
“They appreciate that someone thinks about them and cares for them. That makes it special,” Ogumoro said.
Finally, over at NMC, the Office of Student Activities and Leadership was able to serve prepackaged holiday meals to 200 students on campus.
Students could select from a mashed potato with beef pot roast and corn set; a mashed potato and sliced ham with ko’ko’ set; a white rice and breaded mahi-mahi with ko’ko’ set; or a white rice, broccoli and tofu stir-fry set.
For NMC Office of Student Activities and Leadership manager Maia Pangelinan, the event was a way to build camaraderie on campus as the holidays approach.
“Our Thanksgiving event at NMC was designed to spread a grateful spirit by fostering a sense of unity, providing shared experiences, encouraging reflection, and promoting collaboration among our diverse community of students,” she said.
Johnny Tomei, left, and Chef Zenn Tomokane, both of Crowne Plaza Resort, man the carving station prior to serving meals at the Manamko’ Center.
Billy Grow, Rotarian, helped organize the day’s event.
Interact Club, which is the youth-oriented arm of the Rotary Club, were part of the day’s event, serving food to manamko’.
The Culinary Arts students at NMTech donated their time and effort to produce a thanksgiving meal for the clients at Guma Esperansa.
Aside from food, the Rotary Club also provided entertainment from some of the finalists of the Marianas Got Talent competition.
Culinary students and the staff of Guma Esperansa met on November 21 as they do every year around Thanksgiving.
A Northern Marianas College student receives a free Thanksgiving lunch, courtesy of NMC’s Office of Stduent Activities and Leadership.