Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Food has the power to connect us—to our culture, our community, and each other. This AANHPI Heritage Month, we’re sharing the story of Ikoi no Kai, a local program bringing nourishment and belonging to elders in our community.

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. We're proud to honor, celebrate, and amplify the voices, experiences, and contributions of people of Asian descent as well as those from the Pacific Islands, including regions such as Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. 

We celebrate AANHPI Month in May due to its cultural significance, as it commemorates the immigration of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States on May 7, 1843, and the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869—with much of the work performed by Chinese immigrants. 

Supporting local organizations and businesses doing good in our community is what we’re all about. That’s why we’re highlighting our friends at the Japanese Ancestral Society, whose work honors the accomplishments of Japanese Americans by fostering fellowship within the Nikkei community (Japanese emigrants and their descendants around the world) and preserving ties to Japan.

One of the Japanese Ancestral Society's initiatives is Ikoi no Kai, a program that helps provide nutritious, culturally appropriate meals to older members of the community. The name Ikoi no Kai means "place of rest," and we caught up with program director Jeannine Shinoda to learn more about Ikoi No Kai and who they serve.  

NSM: Can you tell us a bit about Ikoi no Kai—how it started and who it serves today? 

JS: Ikoi no Kai was founded in 1979 to honor elder Nikkei immigrants who had endured the hardships of immigration, displacement, and incarceration during World War II—and who needed a safe place to gather and build community. More than four decades later, we now serve the children of our founders, many of whom are in their 70s and 80s. Today, our patrons include elderly Japanese and Japanese Americans, members of the broader Asian diaspora, neighbors, friends, caregivers, family, and anyone interested in Japanese culture.
 

NSM: How does heritage influence your organization’s approach? 

JS: Our organization was founded to serve the greater community, which is especially important in Japanese culture, where group harmony, collective responsibility, and social cohesion are core tenets. We also take special care with how our dishes are presented, as a reflection of the hospitality we extend to both our dining room guests and bento recipients.
 

NSM: How does food access shape your work? 

JS: Our mission is to create a place where people can experience nourishment that goes beyond basic nutrition. Ikoi no Kai is a place where patrons can eat foods their parents or grandparents would make, laugh with friends, and participate in activities that enhance physical and emotional well-being.
 

NSM: What food access issues do you work to solve?  

JS: Food is a basic human right. As we age, cooking and eating well can become more difficult—whether due to energy, motivation, finances, or losing track of time. Providing consistent, nourishing meals helps enhance the well-being of our elderly community members. Our meals are donation-based and pay-what-you-will, and we deliver monthly meals to elders who are unable to attend our in-person lunch program.
 

NSM: Why is federal acknowledgment and celebration of AANAPI Month important?  

JS: It's important to honor the contributions of the generations before us who helped pave the way. Acknowledging and celebrating AANHPI Heritage Month is especially meaningful given the history of discriminatory policies, violation of rights, incarceration, and racist sentiments against Asians in the U.S., despite their major contributions to society, economy, and culture.
 

NSM: What's something you wish more people knew about the contributions of Asian Americans in Portland?  

JS: We want people to know about the Japanese and Japanese American contributions to our local agriculture, both past and present, including berries and strawberries, celery, nursery flowers and vegetable starts, and other agricultural products.
 

NSM: How can the community support or get involved with Ikoi no Kai? 

JS: We invite people to spread awareness of our organization and support our community by attending our lunches or pop-up events, making monetary or food donations, or volunteering their time. 

 
To learn more about Ikoi no Kai, or to get involved, you can visit them here.