This chilly winter, Garfield’s Asian Pacific Islander Student Union (APISU) and many other clubs organized a winter gear and necessities drive here at school that started on Thursday, January 11. The clubs involved include APISU, Japanese Student Association (JSA) also a part of APISU), Black Student Union (BSU), Muslim Student Association (MSA), CIS (commonwealth of independent states) Country Student Association (CCSA), Jewish Student Union (JSU), and Razas Unidas. Senior Abby Nakamoto, an APISU and JSA officer, is one of the major forces in creating this club-run drive. When asked about what it’s like to be a club member, Nakamoto said, “I’d say it’s really fulfilling! … I’ve gotten to engage in this strong, supportive, Asian community at Garfield, which I’ve never really had at school. So, I love it! ” She was also a part of the clothing drive run by JSA last year. This year, however, “we decided, to get more publicity and have a little more racial solidarity at Garfield, we would reach out to a bunch of different cultural clubs…so that we’re contributing to more causes and getting more people involved.” To find organizations, APISU “reached out to [the other clubs] and basically said ‘can you find any non-profits in the area that specifically are affiliated with your identity in some way?’ So some clubs are able to find places and others are like ‘no we’ll just support you and the outreach.’”
Why organize a clothing drive specifically? Aside from the crazy temperature drops happening recently in Seattle. Nakamoto said “We had a connection to a local organization and knew that the drive was successful in the past, so it was a natural decision to run the drive again. In the future, we hope to have more community-based events that will support the APISU community (and other groups!!) members in need outside of Garfield.”
Together, these clubs are distributing donations equally to chosen organizations that help the public. These organizations include ChuMinh Tofu Mutual Aid, Super Familia, Ukraine Community Center of Washington. They aid unhoused members of the Chinatown/ID community, support unaccompanied and undocumented youth, and provide immigration services and social services for the refugee/immigrant community in Washington. The drive will end once the need is met. So, students and staff, spread the word and keep donations coming!
In the coming years, Nakamoto hopes that the club-run clothing drive becomes an annual tradition that continues to involve the other cultural clubs. Look out for posters around the school, JSA’s Instagram posts, intercom announcements, and an advisory PowerPoint for more information.
If you are interested in donating, head to Dr. A’s room (rm 107 in the middle of the east side of the building) or the front entrance, where donation boxes are ready to be filled with winter coats, toiletries, scarves, hand warmers, and more!
