Korean American Helping Hands in Network
The purpose of KAHHIN is to make hope alive by connecting people in need with people with good hearts.
The Koreatown Food Pantry, one of the top five emergency food and senior nutrition sites nationwide, in collaboration with Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and local churches and senior apartments, implemented eleven locations throughout the Los Angeles County and served solely by devoted volunteers. The main pantry alone served an average of 4,000 household members per month by 35 volunteers. The Koreatown Passport Day, an annual passport service event with the Los Angeles Passport Agency, served an average of 500 applicants yearly by 15 bilingual volunteers. Annual community education event on Medicare Part D with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Service served an average of 400 participants yearly by 20 volunteers. Occasional community-wide education and workshops with local offices of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service were carried out by ten bilingual volunteers serving an average of 100 participants. During the pandemic, a single mother who lost her job started making masks and handed them out to undocumented families. A working family of five with young children helped an undocumented father who couldn’t buy groceries for his sons who stayed with him during the pandemic. A family of three with a minor child had been undocumented for more than twelve years only because they couldn’t afford their green card application fees. KTMPSC and donors paid for the fee, and the family has gained legal status and good jobs.
KAHHIN works as a registry where people who need help can find their helper, and where people who want to help register as members. KAHHIN will match the helper and beneficiary. KAHHIN members are also people power in actions calling for changes, community-wide events, or direct services like food pantry.
Starting a new life in a new country is not as fancy as one may have dreamed of. One may have many good reasons to succeed, while others have many good reasons to fail. Helping hands are the heroes of our life regardless of the size or type of help.