Celebrating NTFB Affinity Groups During Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Nihao Food Bank Initiative, HungerMitao and Nakayoshi Initiative bring together the AA and NHPI communities to fight hunger in North Texas.

^{HungerMitao hosted a Music that Feeds concert this spring.}

Whether they’re giving their time in the North Texas Food Bank’s warehouse, orchestrating concerts, collecting food or hosting fundraisers, NTFB’s affinity groups make a crucial impact on hunger in North Texas.

This month, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) Month, the NTFB is celebrating the critical work of its AA and NHPI affinity groups: HungerMitao, Nihao Food Bank Initiative and Nakayoshi Initiative.

HungerMitao, which was founded in 2017 by Raj and Aradhana “Anna” Asava, brings together the Indian American community to fight hunger. Since its inception, the affinity group has grown to include chapters at several other food banks in Texas and throughout the U.S.

Already this year in North Texas, HungerMitao has raised more than $75,000 for its neighbors facing hunger. In April, HungerMitao hosted their “Music that Feeds” concert at the University of Texas at Dallas and raised more than $12,000. The group also sold sarees as part of a fundraising dinner and during a pop-up market. Together, the events brought in over $10,000.

HungerMitao also connected NTFB with Om Produce, which donated more than 80,000 pounds of food to NTFB during the last fiscal year, and the strong partnership is one that continues this fiscal year.

Nihao Food Bank Initiative was formed in 2021 with the goal of engaging the Chinese American diaspora to raise awareness about hunger while improving community engagement and directing resources to the NTFB. It was founded by James Huang, Jane Li and Bing Xie, with support from the U.S.-China Chamber of Commerce.

^{Nihao’s Give Where You Live: A Charity Concert to Support the NTFB}

Nihao also hosted a spring concert, “Give Where You Live: A Charity Concert to Support North Texas Food Bank.” Held in early May, the event brought together more than 600 people and helped provide access to more than 33,600 meals. It featured the Royal Music Academy Chamber Orchestra. Learn more about the concert here.

Additionally, Nihao has an active youth group, and together the affinity group volunteered over 900 hours during the last fiscal year while donating more than 5,000 pounds of food. Since its inception, Nihao has helped provide access to nearly 1.7 million meals.

^{Nakayoshi completed its first volunteer shift in May.}

Nakayoshi is NTFB’s newest affinity group, having launched in April to bring together the Japanese community in North Texas. After their kickoff event, the group completed their first volunteer shift in May, and they are looking forward to continuing to raise awareness and support for NTFB.

The group is being spearheaded by Dr. Sam Shichijo, the honorary consul of Japan in Dallas. Learn more about Nakayoshi here.

The NTFB is grateful for the commitment and contributions of HungerMitao, Nihao and Nakayoshi, as well as the greater AA and NHPI community, which demonstrates its dedication to closing the hunger gap in North Texas this month and throughout the year.