Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Welcome aboard, Haijima-san, 2HJ’s new part-time staff member!
In order to redistribute food donated by companies and individuals to even more people in need, 2HJ recently added Haijima-san to its staff as a part-timer!
Q: How did you find out about 2HJ?
“Before starting to work at my previous company, I saw a documentary on food banking, which is where I first learned of the concept. I was interested in how the idea worked, and wondered whether that kind of system would work in Japan. Then I found out about 2HJ on the Internet and thought that I’d like to get involved after leaving my current job.”
Q: Why did you decide to work at 2HJ?
“I was working at a food-related company. I was discarding things on a daily basis—call it waste or call it a part of the flow of the big system, but things that didn’t fit the desired shape had to be discarded—and I found myself getting used to throwing out food as if it were nothing. That was when I got motivated to see what I could do about the situation. “I quit my job and spent five months working in farming in Miyazaki Prefecture. I realized there that growing crops and raising animals is hard work. “As I learned about 2HJ, and thought about how the food must feel at being thrown away on a large scale, I thought I’d like to help expand food banking and awareness of it, so I decided to join the organization.”
Q: What do you do at 2HJ now?
“I pick up donated food from companies and deliver it to people who need it. “To best fulfill the demand when delivering the food, I try to take into account the scale and need of the recipient agencies. “I consider things like whether
they prefer non-perishables, fresh vegetables, or sweets. I take this seriously because I don’t want to waste the food we’ve gone out of our way to save.”
Photo: Pamela Ravasio
Q: What do you like about working at 2HJ? And what do you find difficult about it?
“Basically, I think the idea of changing ‘What a waste’ into ‘Thank you’ is a great way of thinking. I get a lot of chances to make people happy, which is fun. “I feel that we could use even more of the food that’s going to waste. To do that, I think we need to increase the number of people involved as well as the scale of operations.”
Q: How do you spend your time when you’re not at 2HJ?
“I surf and work part-time as a cook, so I have two part-time jobs.”
Q: Do you have any hobbies?
“Anything that involves motion: basketball, hiking, traveling.”
Q: What would you like to do at 2HJ in the future?
“I want to put my best effort into my work, and to gradually spread awareness about food banking, so that over time the movement comes to life.”
Q: You seem to really dislike wastefulness. Where do you get that concern?
“I think I got a lot of that from my parents. My father’s work was also food-related, and he would bring home tuna that was not saleable because of discolored spots, and he would cook it for us. When the dishes came out well, we’d go around and share the food with people in the neighborhood. “Later, when I was in college, I worked at a restaurant where the chef would eat the daikon trimmings and things that hadn’t been cut correctly instead of throwing them out. When the mistake was mine, he’d tell me to eat it myself. That experience also made an impression on me.”
Thanks for the insights, Haijima-san!
Interviewer: Yusuke Wada, Resource Coordinator
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