Saturday, December 16, 2006
Heinz Japan: Three years and counting food donor to Second Harvest Japan
It was the summer of 2003. On his way home, Paul Mori, a director of Heinz Japan Ltd., saw the words “Food Bank” on a van parked on the side of the road. An Internet search at home led him to the web site for Food Bank Japan (Second Harvest Japan’s name until late 2004), through which he would later contact Executive Director Charles McJilton.
“In my country, America, it’s the norm for big food companies to cooperate with food banks. I had been wondering why such activities didn’t exist in Japan, and I just happened to see the van,” explains Paul. He quickly brought the matter up with management and Heinz Japan decided to start donating excess inventory.
Although the company is best known for its familiar bottles of ketchup and specialty cooking products like its demi-glace sauce, the monthly average of 350 kg of food products Heinz Japan has been donating to Second Harvest Japan includes a wide variety of soups and soup bases, curry, and even frozen products.
“As an example of our situation, we need to provide products to our clients with a certain number of days remaining before expiration, so we have to dispose of items that are still perfectly edible, but are not saleable. Making food with the goal that people will enjoy it only to have that food thrown away is the most painful thing for someone working in a food company,” says Heinz Japan Chairman, President, and CEO Sergio Sousa. The food that used to go to waste now helps people who need it. On top of that, because the company saves on the cost of storage and disposal, “Everyone ends up happy.”
Sousa, who spent a long time working in several countries in Africa, feels deep concern for the problems of food security. Recently, he volunteered with Second Harvest Japan, helping to deliver vegetables, juice, and other items to a children’s care facility. For the future, Sousa would like to set up a program through which all Heinz Japan employees could volunteer once a month.
Heinz Japan Chairman, President, and CEO Sergio Sousa volunteers with 2HJ Resource Coordinator, Yusuke Wada
“In Portugal, where I come from, food banking is very active, as in America. The tax system and the corporate system support the volunteer organizations; the result is two meals per day on the tables of 220,000 people—365 days a year,” says Sousa. “In this, Portugal far exceeds Japan. While Japan rushes to extend a helping hand when a disaster happens overseas, aren’t the problems of the needy here within the country going unnoticed?”
From a happenstance encounter with a parked Second Harvest Japan vehicle to a firm relationship based upon commitment with action, Heinz Japan has demonstrated that food need not go to waste and that you, the individual, and you the company can make all the difference and thereby make this a better world.
Writer: Etsuko Ohara
Link to News story »Monday, November 13, 2006
Show your support with a 2HJ magnet!
Stick it on your car, your fridge at work or home, or anything else made of metal! These ribbon-shaped magnets communicate our shared mission of “Food for All People.”
Available through 2HJ for 1000 yen (small magnet) or 1500 yen (large magnet). You can also pick them up at outlets including Sony Plaza and Autobacs!
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Distributing Warm Meals with Warm Hearts at Ueno Park on Saturdays
Over six months have passed since I started to help 2HJ with the Ueno Park distribution on Saturdays. I first joined the distribution with an American friend who organized a volunteer event for her Japanese-American club last fall.
2HJ’s Saturday distribution has various unique features. First, it requires some physical work. Since I spend all day sitting in front of the computer at work, it’s so nice to be able to move around.
The preparation usually starts at 10:30 at the warehouse, and volunteers are split into a few teams to prepare such items as bread, vegetables, and rice. Then, we cut bread, boil vegetables, and make some soups or risotto until noon. Once we arrive at Ueno Park at around 12:30, we serve food to around 450 people until the food runs out at around 14:00. After a small meeting among the volunteers, some of us come back to the warehouse to clean the large pots and sweep the grounds. We normally finish cleaning up at 16:00. Thus, we keep moving all day long!
Another unique feature of the distribution is the direct feedback from the recipient side. I hear the words “thank you” hundreds of times when I distribute food at the park, and it is so nice to be appreciated for what I do.
But the most unique feature is the variety of people who come and help with the distribution. Over 70% of the volunteers at Saturday distribution are foreigners. Some go to international schools, some work for foreign companies, and some work as English teachers in Japan. Many of the remaining Japanese volunteers have some international background, like myself, who lived in the U.S. for six or seven years and now work at a foreign company.
We also have some native Japanese volunteers consisting mainly of retired older men, or “ojisan.” They don’t speak English at all, but they communicate with others so well with their good sense of humor of “oyaji gags” (old men’s jokes). I am so happy that they now call me “Sayo-chan” in a friendly way.
In fact, this kind of warmth among the volunteers is the driving force at 2HJ. We don’t simply distribute warm meals to people in need, but we also provide them with our warm hearts. I hope more people with warm hearts – Japanese and non-Japanese alike – will come and help with the Saturday distributions to achieve our mission of “Food for All People.”
Writer: Sayoko Tanaka
Photo: Patricia Decker
Friday, August 11, 2006
Interview with Yusuke Wada, 2HJ’s New Resource Coordinator
As Second Harvest Japan enters its fourth year as an NPO, it has hired Yusuke Wada as its first paid staff. Yusuke has been involved with 2HJ for more than two years. I talked with him about his volunteer experiences and his goals as a staff member for the future of 2HJ.
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How did you get involved with 2HJ?
A friend introduced me and I first volunteered around January 2004. I’ve always been interested in philanthropic work, and during college I volunteered for four years in an after-school program for children whose parents were working. Unlike at a church where you do philanthropy because you are a Christian, at 2HJ you do it because it is a good thing to do, and that really resonated with me. So I kept on volunteering. I was working on some Saturdays, but on every free Saturday I participated as a driver or as a regular volunteer in the food distributions. As I volunteered, I really began to feel the sense that there are people in need. I’ve had various experiences doing jobs like translation and also studying for the bar exam, but I felt that there was something lifeless at for-profit businesses. I feel joy now through my activities at 2HJ.
What challenges will you be facing as a full-time staff member?
Right now, I’m communicating with domestic companies and other organizations, and also handling administrative work. At the office, I have a full day on weekdays coordinating volunteer activities, negotiating by telephone and e-mail, and having meetings and making plans with Charles. Since I also pick up and deliver food to agencies on some days, I also get out of the office at times.
As for the future, I plan to make adjustments to 2HJ’s infrastructure so it can function smoothly as an organization. Ideally, I want to help so that we can increase the number of paid staff, employ drivers and part-timers, and allow Charles to concentrate on his own work.
What words do you have for other volunteers and staff?
Charles encourages and takes up ideas from the staff and volunteers. At 2HJ, you can experience things that you wouldn’t in your regular work or student life. Please join in to experience this chance for yourself!
Yusuke spent two weeks in the U.S. from April 16 to study and experience America’s Second Harvest.
Writer: Keiko Tanaka
Photo: Carin Smolinski
Food banking makes economic sense: Lehman Brothers supports the community through 2HJ
Imagine a business opportunity that promises a thirteen-fold return on your investment. As one of the world’s leading investment banks, Lehman Brothers assesses market opportunities every day, but Charles McJilton’s value proposition to feed underserved communities in Tokyo struck us as uniquely compelling. I remember when I first met Charles at his Asakusa headquarters. There I learned first-hand about his passionate drive to distribute even a small percentage of the 6,000 metric tons of food discarded in Tokyo each day to feed some of the city’s nearly half a million people who lack food security. Leveraging on the fact that it costs an average of 100 yen to dispose of a kilogram of food, Charles found that he could save money for companies and at the same time turn a “profit” for society by delivering food valued at up to 13 times his operating costs. For an investment banker like me, that made terrific economic sense.
Second Harvest Japan also met an important aim of Lehman Brothers, which is to support the communities where we work. Lehman Brothers’ philanthropic contributions take many forms: financial support, employee volunteerism, and in-kind donations of knowledge, resources, and contacts. We believe that philanthropy strengthens our relationships with all of our constituents, including people in our communities, our clients and shareholders, while enriching the experience of our employees. In Asia, where the non-profit sector is often nascent and fragmented, we work with many entrepreneurial groups who may have limited resources initially, but who exhibit enormous potential to address Asia’s massive humanitarian needs.
Second Harvest Japan, which has already been successfully helping orphanages, single-parent families and the homeless for many years, proved to be the perfect partner to achieve our philanthropy goals. Our partnership with them is extensive. Many Lehman Brothers employees participate as volunteers with 2HJ, preparing and distributing food to people in need. We offer professional advice and advisory support to help 2HJ grow. Moreover, the Firm solidified its relationship with Second Harvest Japan this year with a grant from The Lehman Brothers Foundation of $91,000 over two years to help the organization reach an even larger population of people.
We look forward to deepening our relationship with Second Harvest Japan. Many of my colleagues and I have truly been inspired by Charles’ mission, and we hope that together we can share his vision with countless others.
Writer: Jim Quismorio
Photo: Lehman Brothers
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