In a time of thanks and giving the Kamehameha Schools Maui staff, faculty and students came together to create an imu on campus, November 21, 2012, to cook turkeys for the school ‘ohana and specially chosen families in the Kamehameha Schools Maui community.

“We wanted to have an activity where the staff and faculty could participate in. They were able to bring in what they wanted to bring in,” said Mr. Carl Alexander, Director of Operations.

“I felt like ‘wow, this is amazing’. It was so nice to see everyone working together,” said Mrs. Kauko Kane, an administrative coordinator at the elementary campus.

Faculty and staff were able to bring in their turkeys and turkey donations to be put into the imu. Drop-off started at 4:30 at the high school dining hall. By 5:00, the tables were filled with over 50 turkeys, many of which were donations or intended for adopted families.

Once the operations crew and turkey volunteers transported the turkeys to the imu, putting them in was quick. Everyone was constantly moving.

After flattening and filling in the holes in the imu, banana stumps were laid down and then the turkeys.  After the turkeys, banana leaves and ti leaves were laid down, then burlap bags and a tarp. Quickly after, sand was scattered around the edge and the imu ballooned.

To end the long day Headmaster Mrs. Lee Ann Delima planted a stalk of ti leaves in the ground in front of the imu.

“It was an exciting day. It was nice to see everyone coming together to do something different,” Mrs. Delima said.

In the health room, a group of students were baking pies for the adopted families. They baked about 13 pies, which were added to a couple of other donated pies.

Staff, faculty and staff all felt a sense of accomplishment after the imu was covered.

“I felt special to be a part of something so good, and it felt really good to help others,” said senior Renee Lee-Agcaoili.

Early Thanksgiving morning, the operations employees and volunteers were back to uncover the smoky treasures, and at 7:30 cars began pouring into the lot next to Keopuolani to pick up their bounty.

Despite the early hour, there were smiles all around and happy wishes for a hau’oli la Ho’omaika’i.