Second Harvest Japan: Food for all People

May 19, 2020

Second Harvest Japan: Food for all People

In Japan there are up to 8 million tons of food loss in Japan every year, while one in six lives below the poverty line. As the only registered food bank in Japan, since 2002 Second Harvest Japan has been turning ‘mottanai’ (waste) into ‘arigatou’ (thanks) by redistributing food waste from supermarkets such as dented cans and excess inventory.

Their primary focus is on poverty and disaster relief through the distribution of food and essential supplies to welfare agencies, orphanages, shelters, the homeless, and others in need. Volunteers generally serve 2.5-hour shifts in one of Second Harvest’s numerous operations, including food pick-up and delivery, food preparation, packaging of food for distribution, food drives, food distribution, and various office activities.

You can get involved with 2HJ in a number of ways:

1. Donate money: A 1,000 yen donation can deliver over 30,000 yen worth of food (based on FY2012 financial results).
2. Donate food: We accept donations from individuals and companies and have processes in place to assure donations go to the intended recipients.
3. Donate time: Volunteer once or regularly. We work Monday through Saturday and offer a wide range of opportunities to help. It’s important to note that Japanese language skills are not a prerequisite, but of course, are helpful.
4. Donate services/in-kind: For example, companies have donated logistics, warehouse space, legal services, advertising services, media training, and PR advice to name a few.

The voices of 2HJ’s partners working towards the goal of “food for all people.”

You can find out more on the 2HJ website.

www.2hj.org