HONOLULU (KHON2) — Community is an essential pillar in Latino culture, and even though there’s quite a distance between the islands and Latin America, a little store is looking to share that support that the group is known for.
Mercado de la Raza, Hawaiʻi’s only Latin market, stepped up to the plate amidst the now-historic government shutdown to help Oʻahu’s community by supplying free bags of food and treats to anybody in need — no questions asked.
These “Raza Relief Bags” were created by Mercado de la Raza co-owners Megahn Chun and Alex Villarino when they saw that there was a need that they could help with.
“With everything that’s happening with the government shutdown, we started talking as owners of what we could do to support our community, those that are going to be affected and are already affected by it,” Villarino said. “So, we came up with a couple of ideas, and then we decided to just find some product that might be easy to cook and that’s also healthy, but also a little bit indulgent.”
The Raza Relief Bag has enough for a meal, with some extra treats too, and was put together by Chun.
“We wanted to provide sort of a well-rounded bag, so something with protein. So we have albondigas [meatballs]. There was some carne in there, some meat. There’s also refried black beans. There’s tortillas that we bring in from East LA in there,” Chun said. “And of course, yeah you need to feed yourself, and sometimes you need to feed your soul a little bit with something maybe sweet or like a treat. So we put some cookies in there, and some little snacks.”
The bag was created with furloughed federal workers, unpaid federal workers and SNAP beneficiaries who are not receiving their usual benefits in mind, but anyone can come get a bag if they need.
Whether it be for yourself or someone you know, Mercado de la Raza is committed to helping anyone who asks for it.
“If you are experiencing food insecurity right now, if you know someone who is, if you have like an abuelita [grandma], abuelito [grandpa], somebody who is disabled and can’t get to the grocery store, a family especially if they have kids, people who are unable to secure food, please come and see us,” Chun said in a video on the store’s TikTok. “We’re not going to ask you to show any proof of needing any support, so please just come.”
Plenty of people have already been helped by the relief bags, with a members of the community also looking to help their fellow neighbors.
“There are people who are coming in. We still have bags available. They’ve been coming in telling, just crying, because it’s so hard,” Chun said. “We’ve had federal workers coming in who have said, ‘I haven’t had a paycheck since Oct. 1, and it’s getting really, really hard. They’re sending in their neighbors. They’re picking up food for people who aren’t able to get down here.”
Given the success of the Raza Relief Bag program, Villarino added that they do not plan on stopping.
“We’re thinking about maybe adding more bags this week, or maybe next week to those people like that,” he said.
With the work Chun and Villarino are doing, the wider Oʻahu community responded with an outpouring of support.
“The most beautiful thing about this, and this is when we get emotional, it’s never about what we do, it’s about the response of the community,” Villarino said.
For every person saying they would like a relief bag, two people reached out and offered to support their cause, he added.
“It has been so overwhelming with all of the support. Immediately we post [the bags], and I would say like 90% of all of the comments are, ‘how do I donate? How can I help?’” Chun said.
While the duo do not plan on accepting donations at this time, citing logistical issues, they said that should they be unable to help the community get food from their market, they are more than happy to connect people with resources.
“We are thinking about ways in which we can be a point of connection so that we can connect someone in need with someone else who is willing to help,” Villarino said. “Just a simple example, someone reached out and said her kid was having a birthday this week, his eighth birthday, and they didn’t have any means to celebrate. Right away, Megahn mentioned it to a couple people… and a chef that knows us pretty well raises her hand and said ‘Tell them that I’m going to bake a cake for them.’”
It’s not lost on Villarino and Chun that the Latino community right now is suffering, with federal agents such as ICE arresting and detaining many Latino people, regardless of citizenship status.
Despite that community struggle, the two of them look to continue spreading their aloha and amor for those in need.
“We are business owners who try not to be at the forefront. We actually want to allow the community to speak by themselves, and this is just a simple example, and a very minimal one, of how people right away commit and they want to help and they’re willing to support,” Villarino said. “No questions.”
Mercado de la Raza’s food aid is not just for Latinos, despite their specialty in Latin products — everybody who needs help is welcome to come by and receive it.
“The support is not only for Latinos, so I think that’s been so beautiful,” Villarino said. “Both parts have been people who want to donate and people who want help, they are from all ethnicities.”
ʻOhana and familia may be in two different languages, but they mean the same thing and express an extremely rich concept that transcends culture. And Mercado de la Raza is a prime example of those two words converging into one.
“This is a moment where our, like as in many other moments in the most difficult times, our hearts get warmed up and our hearts get filled up with positivity and love and care of the community,” Villarino said. “So my main message is just sometimes it seems like we are a country that’s divided and we seem like everyone is against each other, but in moments like this, you realize people are willing to help from all corners of the world, from all places, from all political backgrounds. And that, to me, is what matters.”
If you or someone you know is in need of a Raza Relief Bag, visit Mercado de la Raza at 1315 S Beretania St. in Honolulu. All you have to do is walk in and ask for a bag — it’s as easy as pastel.