Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Voices from Saturday Volunteers
“The program is accessible and it is easy for first-time participants to join the activities because each shift is about 120 minutes long.”
“May hat’s off to staff members and volunteers for their constant outdoor work regardless of weather, even in the rain!”
“”I felt the activities were very practical. By providing a new route for excessive products and building unprecedented links between suppliers and consumers, 2HJ activities can be seen as a business model as well as an economic activity. Sometimes volunteering is too skewed to “aid the poor” based on idealism, but it was wonderful for me to be able to volunteer without expecting any gratitude from the people who were helped since the 2HJ program is clearly a part of economic activities.”
“Time went by so fast because I was having so much fun. At Ueno park people receive the food with such beautiful smiles and as I watched the people hold the food so preciously, I couldn’t help but reflect on myself and how I can be so wasteful at times. I also had so much fun getting to know the other volunteers. Although I came in with the mindset of ‘giving time’, it seemed like in the end, I gained more from the experience than being able to give.”
“My perspective on the homeless changed entirely. Before, I used to think to myself, ‘the homeless are people who have nothing to do with me’. However, now I realize that the homeless are all humans who live in the same society, the same way I do.”
“Before, I used to distance myself from volunteerism as I never had such a positive impression of it, imagining it to be somewhat dull. However, at Second Harvest their work is so concise and simple and the people so lighthearted. More importantly, there lies a fundamental feeling of care that vibrates amongst the people there.”
“I think it is beautiful that there are so many people supporting the activities of Second Harvest. I thought to myself that I could see the world slowly becoming a better place.”
“I think that when people think of the word ‘volunteerism’, many imagine a world of difficulty and self-giving, a world reluctant to go near because of the fear of not being able to break away. Granted, there are such worlds out there but the environment of volunteering at Second Harvest is nothing like that. At Second Harvest, I think they are aiming to create a world that is ‘large and welcoming’ instead of what people tend to imagine the world of volunteerism as which is ‘deep and limited’”.
“The concept of giving help to all people in need is difficult and with such broad intentions it is also hard to find people who want to be supportive and involved. It is thus inevitable that such world of volunteerism is being reduced when the intentions are so distant and unimaginable. Instead, having the sentiment of ‘change being something that results from every body giving just a little’ will surely increase the number of supporters and will strengthen this world of volunteerism.”
“I think that it is clever that Second Harvest divides the activities into three shifts, giving the volunteers the choice of when they want to work. I am very content with my weekends whenever I help with the activities. Providing such volunteer opportunities is a rather new and modern concept and I was impressed by the balance and stability that Second Harvest is able to sustain.”
“From the perspective of a business that is a donor of Second Harvest, I have always been impressed by their professionalism—they take their time to preserve and protect the image of the companies they receive donations from, the soup kitchen is run under a solid and effective system, and all recipients at the soup kitchen are registered in an organized manner.”
“Everything was a new experience for me and I became so captivated that I can’t really put into words what I experienced yet. However, I did feel that there was no sense of ‘giving and receiving’, but rather, every body simply doing what they were meant to be doing.”
“To be honest, I was simply astounded by the amount of ‘unneeded’ food there was. When people thanked me when they received the food, there was only one thought that came to my mind: ‘thank you for receiving this precious food that was going to go to waste otherwise’. It is ironic to be thanked in situations like this, as I wanted to thank them for letting me be able to enjoy and be content with every second of my time there.”
“Food demand and supply ratio, waste ratio, unemployment, poverty, homelessness, and ‘net café refugees’—on one hand, these words describe the realities of communities of people living at the edge of society. However, on the other hand, there are crowded department stores, expensive foods, high-end brands, an entirely different side of the same society that exists in Japan today. My experience at Second Harvest was an opportunity for me to finally face the reality of the unfairness and hidden despair that exists in society and has become a starting point for me to give thought to the current situation in Japan.”
Link to News story »Volunteer Interview No.2
For the second interview of our series of Volunteer to Volunteer Interviews, Watanabe-sensei talks to Friday morning participant, Cylinda Marquart about her interests in cooking and Second Harvest Japan.
Q: Why are you interested in Food banking?
A: I like food banks because I don’t like wasted food. Watching the news at night we hear about food shortages all over the world, while in developed countries we have so much food that we are throwing it away. Food banks are one way to make sure that we make good use of our resources and spread around our wealth to those who need a hand. As a child, my family and I helped out at soup kitchens for the homeless. Everyone was full of smiles and gratitude as they served and shared a meal together. At university, I’d often have “The Dollar Lunch” at a church across the street from my school. The church received food donations from local supermarkets and food distributors and cooked cheap, delicious and nutritious lunches for college students and the poor. No one was ashamed to be eating a cheap lunch, but instead they were happy that the food wasn’t being thrown away. In the last few years I’ve gotten involved with “Share Our Strength” an American food bank that wants to eradicate childhood hunger in the US. http://strength.org/
Q: Food seems to be really important to you; did something growing up make you feel this way?
A: I come from a multi-cultural family that includes French, German and Chinese. Because of my father’s work we often met other families from different countries. With so many different cultures, the one ‘universal language’ people could share was food. There would be parties with people eating American-style fried chicken and potato salad, next to Korean kimichi and German sauerkraut. I’ve seen pictures of my third birthday party, and I’m eating sushi. Food was also important to me because it was the only way I could communicate with my maternal grandmother, who is from Hong Kong. Through her very complex and elaborate Cantonese-style cooking, I had my first gourmet experience.
Q: Tell us about your time in Japan and thoughts about the food culture here.
A: I moved to Japan from Taiwan, where I had been working in publishing and broadcasting. My life had been quite fast-paced and marrying and moving to rural Fukuoka gave me time to slow down. My first friend was my neighbor who brought me vegetables from her hatake (field) and home-style Japanese food like nikku jagga and tsukemono. Ikeda-san’s food was all organic, seasonal and of course, locally-grown. Because of Ikeda-san’s perfect ingredients and all the care she took in growing vegetables I became more and more inspired to put the same kind of energy into my cooking. Ikeda-san’s secret ingredient was ‘love’; it was the same love I tasted in my grandmother’s cooking and also what I try to bring to my vegetable chopping at 2HJ.
Q: What do you do at 2HJ?
A: About two or three times a month I join the Friday morning cooking crew in chopping vegetables and preparing the ingredients for Saturday’s meal distribution. From time to time I’ll bring friends to 2HJ so they can practice their cooking skills, too. The mornings go by very quickly as we stand around the tables chopping and laughing, telling stories and adding that special ingredient to all of our cooking.
Cylinda is a writer & editor that has been living in Japan for five years. Last year she started food consulting and a personal chef service. Check out her blog of recipes and food philosophies at: http://lovesoupcooks.typepad.com/
Please read other voices from Saturday volunteers.
Link to News story »Monday, June 15, 2009
Volunteer Interview No.1
2HJ is holding an interview relay involving volunteers who are active in the Friday and Saturday programs. The premier interview features Mr. Yoshiyuki Watanabe who is one of our regular volunteers on both Fridays and Saturdays.
Former principal’s motto is “Let’s have fun!”
Yoshiyuki Watanabe, 69, has a nickname of “Sensei (teacher)” because he was a principal in Tokyo before he retired nine years ago. In his 37-year career in teaching, he worked at a Japanese continuation school in New York as well. It was a news show on TV-Asahi broadcast in April, 2008, that he learned about 2HJ.
The first volunteer work he did at 2HJ was to deliver food with Mr.Haijima, one of 2HJ staff who happened to be his pupil. Later, he helped with food delivery to care facilities. And now, Watanabe joins preparation for the soup kitchen every Friday and the soup kitchen activities on Saturdays. On Friday, he cuts vegetable all day long, and on Saturday, he sets up the working area so that other volunteers can work smoothly. He also shares his “grandpa’s knowledge” about how to handle kitchen tools and food.
“I am so happy that I can do things for others, while learning something new. It’s also nice to be able to meet various people,” Watanabe says cheerfully. He hopes that more people can help each other by having the spirit of “co-existence.” In order to do so, “we have to enjoy doing volunteer work,“ he says.
“I’m hoping that 2HJ establishes a nationwide network sometime soon,” says Watanabe who sat in on a food bank meeting held in Yamanashi. After he and 2HJ staff delivered food donated from companies in Tokyo, the car became full of potatoes and turnips from Yamanashi on the way home. Watanabe says that 2HJ faces some challenges, such as securing more drivers and cars, but his dream is growing as he warmly watches young leaders grow.
Link to News story »
Friday, November 28, 2008
Yamato Cup Tournament Donated 120,600 yen to 2HJ
On October 11, 2008, The Yamato Cup, an international street hockey tournament held in Tokyo, a fundraising program was created where players asked friends and family to pledge money for each goal the player scored.
Members of the Tokyo Street Hockey Association (TSHA) and the Misconduct Hockey League (MHL) participated in the program, and raised raised 120,600 yen for Second Harvest Japan.
Tokyo Street Hockey Association (TSHA) -> http://tokyohockey.com
Misconduct Hockey League (MHL) -> http://www.misconduct.co.jp
The Yamato Cup -> http://yamatocup.com
Monday, November 10, 2008
New 4-ton truck added to 2HJ’s vehicles!
At long last, 2HJ has become the proud recipient of a 4-ton truck! The purchase of the truck was made possible by generous donations from NuSkin Japan. We sincerely thank NuSkin Japan for this important donation.
Soon after we received the truck, we took it down to Nagoya for a delivery. In Aichi and Mie, we delivered food to agencies in cooperation with Second Harvest Nagoya. We used to be able to deliver less than 2 tons of food at a time, but with the new truck, we can deliver more than 3 tons at a time. This means we can deliver more food in a more efficient manner.
So far, the truck has also shown outstanding performance for pickup of baby food and industrial refrigerators. Those who are most in need of food assistance are people like low-income single mother households and elderly households. They do not necessarily belong to any agencies, so one of our biggest goals is to establish a food assistance system for them. This truck represents the capacity for a big step toward that goal.
As the photos below show, this 4-ton truck really stands out in the streets. If you spot it somewhere, please wave hello to the driver!
2HJ’s new 4-ton truck
Loading the 4-ton truck
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