Community
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Laughter and Food Build Community at Kain Tayo! Filipino Fiesta
Tacoma-based arts organizer Clarissa Grace Gines and local chef Jan Parker struggled to find events in Pierce County that celebrated their Filipino heritage. After years of driving to Seattle to attend events, they recently applied for – and received – a Spark Grant to help create their own event locally.
Kain Tayo!, which translates to “Let’s eat!”, is the event they held on July 18, 2019. More than 300 people gathered at Tacoma’s RAIN Incubator Space for a Filipino fiesta featuring food, art, music, karaoke, and traditional games.
“Growing up, my identity was my culture. The food that I ate, the traditions I practiced are all rooted in me being Brown, and a child of immigrants and Filipina. I think that really started the fire for me to want to do something like this for myself and also for the community.” – Clarissa Grace Gines
Clarissa explained that being able to have events like Kain Tayo! that represent diverse cultures is important in building community. She says it helps people to see their culture, and who they are as individuals, be celebrated.
Clarissa and Jan both shared how putting on the event also helped them connect with numerous other individuals and organizations that celebrate Filipino culture in the Tacoma area and how they look forward to continuing to build on those connections in the future.
Find out more about artists and chefs who participated in Kain Tayo!
See more photos from Kain Tayo!
Clarissa and Jan received one of 9 Spark Grants awarded for the Spring 2019 cycle.
The next Spark Grant review cycle will be in Fall 2019. Applications are due by OCTOBER 31, 2019 For more information about Spark Grants and how to apply click here or contact GTCF Program Officer, Janece Levien.