Monday, April 21, 2008
2HJ daikon harvesting event: Straight from the fields to 2HJ recipients
Pull, cut head, turn over, cut tail, set down. Pull, cut head, turn over, cut tail, set down.
What sounds like a streamlined slaughtering ritual, in reality is the daikon (i.e., Japanese white radish) harvesting routine of the 20 or so volunteers that answered 2HJ’s call to Okabe on Sunday February 24. They collected over 2 metric tons of daikon (from about 10 tons available on the field), all of which had been delivered to 2HJ’s recipients by February 27, only three days after the volunteers harvested them!
The following Sunday, March 2, a team of children (and their caretakers), aged from elementary to high school, took their turn and pitched in to harvest over 1.5 additional tons of daikon from the field. Coming from several of the homes to which 2HJ provides food, the children enjoyed the rare opportunity of harvesting their own food and eating it fresh from the field. The staff from the various participating children’s homes brought back a bounty of daikon to supplement meals at their agencies.
For 2HJ, it was the first time in its history that the organization literally lived up to its name by harvesting a field of donated vegetables. Due to this year’s early frosts, the usual daikon harvest period was cut short, leaving entire fields of the vegetable to the plough. Fortunately, one field of high-quality, mouth-watering daikon remained for 2HJ to gather.
Looking back, 2HJ’s Executive Director Charles McJilton stated: “I always wanted to bring such an event to life.” But the idea only gained momentum when 2HJ’s staff member Haijima-san revived the connection he had made with Mr. Karasawa (the main driver of this event on the Okabe community’s side) while working for a farmer in Miyazaki, Kyushu, before joining 2HJ. When the two met again after Haijima-san’s return to Tokyo, conversations about the details of vegetable cultivation eventually lead to reflections on if and how there might be opportunities for farming communities to contribute in their own way to 2HJ’s activities.
Farmers invest a tremendous amount of time and effort in growing crops and vegetables, “much like parents raising and educating their kids,” as Mr. Karasawa explains. It gives them a rather nauseous feeling watching the results of their efforts go to waste, be it because there are not enough hands available for harvesting all of it, or due to some follies of the change in season. Consequently, joining forces with 2HJ seemed like an optimal way to kill two birds with one stone: Not only did some of the yet unharvested daikon get harvested, but also there were people happily looking forward to such a highly valued addition to their menu.
Tired, cold, excited, covered from head to toe in soil blown upon us by the marrow-chilling wind and looking forward to dropping by the nearby onsen (i.e., local hot spring) before returning to Tokyo, all volunteers agreed that working in the fields and harvesting daikon with our own hands had taken the stress of city-life, at least temporarily, away from us. And, if only for a few hours, we had made the somewhat surprising discovery that country life was not all about sweet strawberries and gorgeous green meadows. The life of a farmer can be tough—and the strong winds, blinding us at times, forcing us to swallow more than the odd grain of soil and sand, served as a good example of how tough that life can be.
As the first time ran so smoothly and was a positive, educational and last but not least fun experience for all participants, 2HJ hopes to continue this newly set up collaboration with the Okabe agricultural community, and maybe even set up links to other communities in the future.
And, as 2HJ is now looking into converting this originally one-off event into a regular, maybe twice-a-year activity, I am looking forward to another of those rare opportunities where I get to work with my hands. Maybe I will be allowed once more the occasional glimpse to the panorama of the snow-covered Northern Alps rising at the horizon. No doubt at the end of another such day I will again fall into my bed with a rare but soothing, satisfactory feeling of having accomplished a truly productive day.
Writer/Photographer: Pamela Ravasio
Link to News story »Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Recipient profile: Canaan Christ Church
“Delicious” church offers nourishment for body, soul
Lined with cheap hostels and known for attracting day laborers, Kotobuki area is located in Yokohama’s Naka Ward. This neighborhood is populated by welfare recipients—many of them disabled people and seniors—as well as numerous homeless people. It is also home to Canaan Christ Church. The church consists of four connected one-room apartments within a building.
The church’s goal is to be a “happy, fun, delicious church,” according to Pastor Satoshi Sato. A meal of curry and rice for all attendees follows Sunday services; boxed lunches or other meals are offered after roadside services on Saturday mornings and Thursday afternoons; snacks always accompany early morning and evening services.
“Without the food we receive from Second Harvest Japan (2HJ), we couldn’t do this kind of activity. I’m filled with gratitude at the fact that they always come from far away to deliver the food to us,” says Pastor Sato’s wife, Pastor Yeonhee Seo. 2HJ delivers bread, fresh vegetables, and canned goods to the church twice a month, while one of 2HJ’s donors, Nichirei, visits the church every week with a shipment of frozen foods. Since most people in the neighborhood can’t spare money to tithe, being able to receive food for free really helps the church. “On days when we’re expecting a delivery, we all look forward to seeing what will arrive that day,” says Pastor Seo.
Pastor Seo and Korean congregation members living in Japan originally established the church to preach to people living in this area. Just as the sign at the church entrance reads, today the church welcomes “anyone seeking a purpose, anyone who is confused, anyone tired from working, anyone who has been hurt, anyone at all.” People who have lost their job, money, and home, as well as people who spent most of their lives in prison, come here.
“Most people first come here more interested in one meal than one hundred sermons. Along the way, though, I’ve seen countless brothers and sisters have their spirits healed and be redeemed,” says Pastor Sato. In some cases, people go from living on the streets to helping at the church, and eventually even taking up jobs because they “want to donate money.”
Two years ago the church took in a couple who had been living in the underground walkways of Yokohama in a makeshift cardboard house. The woman was pregnant, and the situation had been dangerous for both her and her unborn child, but in July of last year she gave birth to a healthy baby girl. The baby, named Kanako after Canaan Church, is being watched over by many people and is thriving. Pastor Seo calls her the “treasure of the church.” Kanako-chan and her parents still live at the church, and her previously homeless father has become a sub-official at the city’s sanitation department.
From this fall, Canaan Church will serve as a 2HJ pantry. As such, it will function as the community “food contact point”: anyone who lacks food security or needs emergency groceries can visit the pantry to receive a parcel of food (non-perishable items like canned goods and dry noodles), which the pantry will receive from 2HJ and make available to anyone in need in the community. 2HJ is working to establish these food contact points in various locations throughout Japan.
“To help those who are troubled, both spiritually and materially, is our role as a church. We’re happy to serve as a connection between our community and 2HJ,” says Pastor Sato.
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By Etsuko Ohara
Photo: Yusuke Wada
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
2HJ delivers food to women and children
Among the various recipients of 2HJ food deliveries, there is a privately run shelter for women and children. This shelter admits female victims of domestic violence or human trafficking as well as women who have become homeless due to various circumstances. Because of the imminent danger of relentless pursuit by their husbands, it is not possible to disclose the shelter’s address, name, or other details.
The shelter mother, a talented cook, prepares a nutritious meal three times a day. Depending on what she receives from 2HJ’s fortnightly delivery, she comes up with a custom tailored menu. If for example she receives the same vegetable in large quantities, she uses techniques such as pickling to guarantee that not a single item is wasted.
“We can afford the daily groceries we need, but thanks to 2HJ we are able to provide a more diverse menu,” a staff member explains. Furthermore, for institutions like this one, that rarely receive any government support and rely heavily on members’ donations to keep operating, “Being able to save tens of thousands of yen on our monthly food budget really helps us a lot. Instead, we can spend that money on baby formula, diapers, and other items.”
Here, food is a means of support not only to the body, but also to the minds of the sheltered. Whether they were restricted by a violent husband or by financial hardship, many of them had not been free to eat what they liked best for a long time. “They look beyond happy,” says the staff, “to have so much food in front of them and to be told, ‘It’s your choice. Eat whatever you like.’”
The shelter’s “graduates,” i.e., those who find an apartment and start an independent life, can choose to take part in 2HJ`s Harvest Pantry, which sends them urgently needed food items through a parcel delivery service. Since almost all of them are living their lives relying on public welfare, food is something a single mother with growing kids is always “grateful to receive—every little bit helps.”
Additionally, Fujimamas, a restaurant located in Omotesando, prepares a free meal once a week for the women living in the shelter. A 2HJ volunteer picks the meals up and delivers them without failure, even during New Year’s or Obon. The women are all happily looking forward to this weekly event and wondering, “What kind of dinner will we get today?”
From the staff’s explanations, I have come to realize that food is not only something that fills one’s stomach: For these women, who have encountered hard experiences, food is also a modest support that encourages them to recover their dignity and independence.
Writer: Etsuko Ohara
Photo: Patricia Decker
Friday, April 06, 2007
Food drives feed Harvest Pantry
Every week, Second Harvest Japan’s Harvest Pantry feeds close to 100 individuals, including 47 children. The majority of critically needed non-perishable foods come to us through food drives held by schools, businesses, and associations. With over 650,000 people in Japan lacking food security, food drives—no matter how big or how small—play an important role in helping to alleviate hunger.
Mark Valens, an English teacher at the Tokyo Korean School, helped to organize a food drive with his students, grades one through six. Approximately 450 students participated in the five-day drive. To motivate and build enthusiasm, the teachers put forth a challenge. If the students collected over 500 items, the teachers would sing a Japanese song in front of the student body. If the school fell short of the target, the sixth grade students would have to sing an English song on stage.
In the end, the students collected over 1,100 items and “everyone involved with the food drive agreed that it was a great success,” said Valens. “Donating food showed students how they could make a difference in people’s lives as well as educated them about the fact that many people go to bed hungry each night, even in a wealthy developed country.” Most of the teachers also spoke about the need some have for food and why they felt it was important to help others.
Many food drives are organized around World Food Day (October 16), which was established in 1979 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to increase international awareness of the issues behind hunger and poverty around the world. World Food Day is an excellent occasion to run a food drive for 2HJ and help spread awareness about hunger in Japan.
But since hunger is a year-round problem, there’s no need to wait until autumn to plan a food drive. See below for some pointers for organizing a food drive and contact 2HJ today to get started!
Be sure to contact Harvest Pantry Coordinator Michelle Ryan .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) before you start collecting food.
Download this printer-friendly PDF of the above pointers.
Writer: Michelle Ryan
Link to News story »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
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