Sunday, December 31, 2006
2HJ’s Harvest Pantry Reaches Families and Individuals in Need
Imagine living on 200,000 yen a month as a mother of five with your youngest child less than six months old. Your rent is one-third of your husband’s salary and then there are your bills. On top of this you have to buy powdered milk and diapers for your baby and three year old. Your older three children need money for lunch, school supplies and clothing. Even when you can provide for these needs, you worry about medical costs if one of the children should come down with something. You look for a part time job to bring in extra income, but because of the children, your only option is to work from home. Every yen your husband earns is absolutely vital to your family’s survival.
Although your husband is a hard worker, his salary as a construction worker is not guaranteed. If the weather prevents him from working, or even worse if he gets injured, your family’s income disappears. Knowing that your family is just one injury or stretch of bad weather away from not being able to afford food is a constant threat to your peace of mind.
This is the case for Riza Baitan,* one of the current 40 recipients (totaling approximately 100 people a week) in 2HJ’s newest program, the Harvest Pantry. “If my children ask me for a toy,” she says, “I always ask them to wait. I will never break a promise to my children, but it takes time to save that money. We scrape by every month.” In North America people facing situations like that of the Baitan family can receive emergency groceries from most food banks. However, the Harvest Pantry is the first to bring this concept to Japan, where 650,000 people lack food security.**
Organizations such as the Japan Association for Refugees (JAR) provide 2HJ with the names, addresses, and family size of recipients. 2HJ customizes each family’s food package, considering issues such as religion, food preferences, and dietary restrictions. After three months the recipient’s needs are reassessed. 2HJ sends the food packages via a courier service on a regular basis. “We have a great contract with a courier company,” explains Harvest Pantry coordinator Michelle Ryan, “and I think this is the most effective way to reach the individuals and families we currently support.” For a cost of only 500 yen per package up to 20 kg, the courier service also allows 2HJ to choose delivery time slots to ensure the food arrives at a convenient time for the recipients.
“The weekly package of food [from 2HJ] saves us approximately 15,000 yen per month,” Riza says. It also allows the family to eat things they normally cannot afford, such as fresh vegetables, meat and fruit. Riza says her children are ecstatic when the package from 2HJ arrives. The Harvest Pantry is expected to grow in the future to provide more people in similar situations with a safe, socially acceptable food supply in their time of need.
*Name has been changed to respect privacy.
**Based on research by Second Harvest Japan.
Writer: Ryan Fay
Photo: Yusuke Wada
RSS
Keep up to date with the latest news.