On October 18, 2025, KIST hosted an Explanation Day where over 900 visitors visited our campus. Our service group, Kodomoshokudou (こども食堂), was given the opportunity to hold a bake sale to fund raise for our service group’s activities. Kodomoshokudou mainly centers around sending student volunteers to the neighboring Kodomoshokudou in Morishita (森下） to assist families by helping to play with children, serving food or cleaning up. Kodomoshokudou fosters connections between adults and children of all diverse backgrounds and allows the building of an inclusive community where people can share struggles and experiences.
To increase our sphere of influence, we are also sending monthly donations to a non-profit organization in Tokushima (徳島) called Uminokoterasu, which addresses social inequality by establishing a place for young people to feels safe at to fill in their gaps in opportunities. This is especially important in rural areas such as where this NPO is active as there is often only one school and students who struggle to fit in there have nowhere else to go.
At the bake sale we sold various items such as coffee, tea, cookies, doughnuts, croissants and rice crackers: all of which were sold out by the end of the day. Never did I see myself standing in the coffee isle of a supermarket differentiating between rich blend coffee and mild blend coffee, trying to pick the best option to sell.
Overall, the bake sale was an overwhelming success, and we cannot wait to expand our club’s activities to advocate for social change. Later in the year, our club is planning to host Christmas events at the kodomoshokudou such as Christmas bingo and crafts for the children to enjoy. We cannot wait to continue our activities for another eventful semester!
