In 2011

Dec 3 - 2HJ PR Officer Rumi Ide got interviewed on InterFM Green Station.

Nov 28 - A Japanese magazine, 25ans, featered 2HJ’s disaster relief.

Nov 7 - A Japanese cable TV channel J-Com interviewed 2HJ PR Officer Rumi Ide.

Oct 30 - 2HJ volunteers appeared on NHK Tokai when distributing food in the disaster area.

Oct 24 - 2HJ CEO Charles McJilton and PR Officer Rumi Ide got interviewed on CBC radio.

Oct 16 - 2HJ’s PR Officer Rumi Ide was interviewed on a radio program, J-WAVE LOHAS SUNDAY.

Sep 26 - MUJI’s website featured 2HJ.

Aug 10 - A Japanese design magazine, Casa BRUTUS covered 2HJ.

Jun 25 - A Japanese magazine, Croissant, covered 2HJ.

May 25 - A Japanese newspaper, Kahoku Shinpo, covered the story of a Japanese lady’s efforts to send allergy-friendly food to the disaster area in Japan. The story mentions Second Harvest Japan as a transportation-aid organization. Here is the translation.

Apr 1 - The Japan Times featured Second Harvest Japan’s disaster relief efforts. Go to Japan Times - “Second Harvest rallies support for Tohoku.”

Mar 31 - CNNGo covered Second Harvest Japan’s disaster relief efforts. Go to CNNGo - “Tokyo’s first food bank mobilizes for earthquake and tsunami victims.”

Mar 30 - The Corbett Report, an online news media, interviewed 2HJ Executive Director Charles McJilton about our disaster relief efforts in Northeast Japan. Listen to the podcast here.

Jan 10 - CNN covered Second Harvest Japan. Go to CNN - “Redirecting unwanted food”.

In 2010

Sep 18 - Second Harvest Japan is awarded by Mainichi Shimbun newspaper (sponsored by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and Japan National Council of Socialwelfare) for his contribution to improvement of the social welfare in Japan. The ceremony will be held in early October. Here is the article (in Japanese).

May 31 - Charles McJilton Interviewed by Allianz

This is an easy-to-understand FAQ style interview about 2HJ.

June 5 - Charles McJilton Interviewed on My Eyes Tokyo, Chuo FM

2HJ Executive Director Charles McJilton was interviewed on a radio program, My Eyes Tokyo, on May 29, 2010. The second session will be from 7 p.m. on June 5, 2010. Please tune in to listen to the interview! The interviews are in Japanese but you can read an English summary here.

2HJ is now on Twitter! Follow us in English or in Japanese.

If you like this story, you might also enjoy:
Office Manager Masahiro Otake’s U.S. Food Bank Travelogue Vol. 1

Food for Thought—Part 2: “Stamp Out Hunger”—The Largest Single-Day Food Drive in the U.S.

2HJ’s new video - Thank you very much for your support!

UPS pledged $1 million support in financial support and logistics support of emergency supplies when the disaster hit Japan in March 2011. 2HJ has cooperated with UPS in the disaster relief and UPS employees volunteered in 2HJ’s soup-kitchen program in October 2011.

2HJ is very grateful to UPS for their volunteer hours and generous donation. This support will help us deliver more food and supplies to the disaster victims most in need now. Thank you very much.

Please also check out disaster relief blog!
Second Harvest Japan Disaster Relief Report

You can donate online now!

How old were you when you started volunteering? What volunteer activity did you do?

Five years old. I assisted my mother with preparing food parcels which were sent to missionaries working overseas in India, Thailand and such places. I remember going to the warehouse to help choose the goods, packing the parcels at home and going to the Post Office. Forty years later here I am at 2HJ sometimes helping prepare food parcels for the Tohoku earthquake victims and others in need. 

What is the general attitude or feeling about volunteering in New Zealand?
It is definitely encouraged and viewed as a positive activity. There are many volunteer organisations to choose from, but sadly too many people in need of help and not enough volunteers. I was lucky to be brought up in a home with a strong sense of social justice and I was always aware that there were many people worse off than me. In particular, my mother and grandmother were actively involved with volunteer community work, so some of this must have rubbed off on me.
 

What does volunteering mean to you in your life?

Giving something back to a country (Japan) that I love and which has blessed me with so much. Volunteering at 2HJ has brought more of a balance to my life and I feel like I’m a better person for it. After a 20 year career in banking, which was all about taking, it makes a nice change to be giving.

How did you find out about 2HJ, what made you volunteer and what have you been doing at 2HJ ?

Two years ago while playing with my children in Ueno Park, by chance, I saw 2HJ’s soup kitchen in action. I was genuinely shocked at how many homeless people were queuing for food. I made a promise to my children and myself that I would somehow help 2HJ. After many months of procrastinating, I contacted 2HJ and became a volunteer. I have been lucky to be able to re-schedule other commitments in order to be free to volunteer for a full day most Fridays, a decision which I have no regrets about. Mostly I am involved with the soup kitchen preparation but I’ve also been a driver’s assistant and sometimes help with food parcels and loading/unloading trucks. If something heavy needs lifting, invariably it will find its way to me!  At the end of each Friday’s volunteer session, I like nothing more than to sooth any sore muscles with a bath at a nearby sento - a wonderful feeling of contentment and being at peace with oneself after an honest day’s work.

Could you share your lasting impressions you have and things you have learned about your experiences at 2HJ?

I will always remember the first job I did at the soup kitchen; breaking up slabs of mochi into square cakes. Why? Because I have a hereditary condition which has resulted in two crooked fingers. I had been having hospital rehab’ for many months without any noticeable effect, which left me feeling frustrated. As soon as I started breaking up the mochi, I could feel some power return to my fingers and I thought to myself “this is the best form of rehab’ I could ever do”. 
I can never forget working underneath the train tracks at 2HJ on 11th March 2011 when the big earthquake struck. Sure there was a sense of panic amongst us volunteers, but it also felt like we were all in this together and as a result I think the regular volunteers are now even closer than before. 2HJ’s fast response to this disaster and the hive of activity in the months that followed was incredible. The outpouring of generosity by way of donations and people volunteering was beyond what I imagined possible.   
It has also been a great experience to meet many volunteers from all over the world, even if only for one session. Every Friday I have no idea what I am going to be asked to do and who I might meet - working at 2HJ is always a highlight of my week.

Do you have any suggestions to make 2HJ activities better?

Not that I can think of. 2HJ are doing a great job and I’m enjoying being part of this worthy cause.

Do you have any message to Japanese young people about volunteering?

Don’t procrastinate, just do it, if only once. The happiness that it will bring you will outweigh any sacrifice you might have to make. The younger you start, the better. My youngest son is looking forward to being old enough to be a volunteer at 2HJ.  I once brought my 12 year old son to 2HJ to help with food parcel preparation, an idea he wasn’t so keen on at first, but at the end of the session he said “Dad, that was fun. I want to go to 2HJ again”.

Please also check out disaster relief blog!
Second Harvest Japan Disaster Relief Report

You can donate online now!

In 2011, the project donated the money from sponsor corporations, and also the money from their social media campaign, in which they gave 100 yen per “follow” on their Twitter or “like” on their Facebook. 

We will use the donation for our disaster relief in Northern Japan.

Thank you very much for all those who made this project possible!

Oshogatsu Nippon Project’s website
http://www.oshogatsu.jp/donation.html

Please also check out disaster relief blog!
Second Harvest Japan Disaster Relief Report

You can donate online now!

If you are interested in having our staffer to make speech about our activities, please contact us at info@2hj.org with the following information:

1) Theme you want us to talk about
2) Number of audiences
3) Date
4) Venue
5) Your contact information

Thank you very much for your interest in Second Harvest Japan!

Recent public speaking

2011
12/15 - 2HJ Executive Director Charles McJilton Speaks at Meiji Gakuin University!

12/2 - 2HJ Speaks at Deutsche Bank

11/30 - 2HJ Speaks at Kagawa Nutrition University

11/29 - 2HJ Speaks at Aoyama Gakuin University

11/20 - COO Masahiro Otake Spoke at Food Bank Yamagata’s Inaugural Meeting

11/4 - 2HJ Speaks at Japan Snack Serial Foods Association

11/1 - 2HJ Speaks about Nonprofit Internet Strategy at NPO Support Center

10/28 - COO Masahiro Otake Speaks at Hattori Nutrition Collge

10/20 - 2HJ COO Masahiro Otake Speaks at Social Entrepreneur Universituy on 10/20

10/18 -  2HJ Speaks at NPO Support Center

10/13 - 2HJ Executive Director McJilton Spoke at Okayama Forum on 10/13

Please also check out disaster relief blog!
Second Harvest Japan Disaster Relief Report

You can donate online now!

Japanese Food Reality (2006)
Our first video to raise awareness about food waste in Japan.
2HJ’s TV commercial wins copper award!

What made you decide to volunteer at 2HJ?

After the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake in 1995, I had strong urge to do something for those suffering. Dr. Junko Umihara, a psychosomatic physician, says in one of her books, “Anybody does something about their own pain. I hope that many people can feel others’ pain like their own and do something for them.” This inspired me to volunteer for others. When I had a full-time job, my volunteering was irregular, but occasional volunteering gave me many learning experiences. I learned about Second Harvest Japan (2HJ) in the media some years ago and wanted to volunteer there. After I retired, I contacted 2HJ to ask for a volunteer opportunity, and they welcomed me right away. This is how I started volunteering at 2HJ. Now I have been volunteering at 2HJ for a year and a half and am very happy to be helpful to others.

What do you actually do at 2HJ?

I go pick up bread with close expiration dates, rice, fruits and vegetables partly damaged during packing from foreign hypermarkets and other donor companies. After removing damaged parts, I load the food into a 2HJ’s truck, drive to social welfare agencies or churches, and unload the food they need. Also, we often have food already at 2HJ’s office before picking up food from somewhere, and I deliver them to the agencies as well.

How did you feel, when you saw, for the first time, a lot of good food that would have gone to waste?

I heard that 500 to 900 million tons of food are wasted every year in Japan. The amount of food I can salvage at 2HJ is one ten-thousandth of it. It is as small as a grain of sand in the seashore. But it is not zero, and even one grain can make somebody happy. I think that is still meaningful. I feel this way because of what I learned from my volunteer experiences in Kobe. The volunteer leader there once said to us that “What you are doing is only a ray of light. But when each ray bunches up together, they can light the survivors and give them hope.” His words removed my ambivalence that my volunteering was a self-indulgence and encouraged me to continue volunteering afterwards.

What impressed you so far at 2HJ?

There are countless things. But the most impressive thing among them is an encounter with Ota-san (an interviewee of the interview No. 4), who kindly taught me basics of volunteering in my early days at 2HJ. He genially says, “Thank you for your continuous donations” or “Thank you” with a smile over and over again not only to donors, but also to recipient agencies. I believe, saying thank-you is a good thing in general, but I wondered why he was thankful even to recipient agencies. When I asked Ota-san about this, he answered, “We cannot deliver food to every recipient in need by ourselves. Only with the help from agencies who pass food along to hundreds of recipients, the 2HJ’s mission can be achieved. That is why I want to say thank-you to them.” His explanation satisfied me. I felt even more encouraged by it. He also gave me advice like what time people at agencies take a lunch break, how we should handle food donations, and what kind of people are coming to the agencies to pick up food. For example, we try to deliver soft bread to agencies with many elderly clients. His advice was full of thoughtfulness, and I felt that his thoughtfulness relates to the spirit of 2HJ. People at this recipient church which functions as a hub of the food delivery pray on a previous day of our delivery that food with a long shelf life like rice will be delivered. Knowing this, I can share their happiness when we receive a good amount of food with a long shelf life.

As a volunteer driver I have many opportunities to meet different people; sisters from overseas at a recipient church were helping foreigners who couldn’t communicate in Japanese at places like a court and an immigration office. I heard one of 2HJ’s volunteers decided to go to a driving school so that he can drive a large truck. Many foreign travelers volunteered too, even though their stay in Japan is short.

One time, there was a shopping cart full of bread left outside for us at a donor hypermarket. When it started raining, staff people there put a cardboard to cover the bread. The thoughtfulness touched my heart.

Has your volunteer experience at 2HJ made any change in yourself?

I had already been in the habit of volunteering at 2HJ, but, in September, I came across a book, The Challenge of Food Banking: Between Poverty and Plenty, written by Etsuko Ohara and published by Iwanami Shoten. The book is about the philosophy of Charles, the founder of 2HJ, the history of their activities, struggles, achievements, and challenges. Reading the book enabled me to better understand the whole picture of 2HJ.

At a different volunteer place, this person said to me, “Even if you think it is good for others, it does not necessarily mean people will agree with you. But the longer you are committed, the more likely good outcomes show up.” I think Ohara’s book carries the same message.

What do you hope will become of food banking?

I hope that food banking will grow more and more. I believe that many people feel the same way. The more food banking grows, the more people will be able to find a hope. But this can demand more workloads and even higher quality of works for 2HJ members. A box of relief supplies sent to Tohoku weighs more than 20 kilograms. Often they load 300 boxes, and they are very heavy. I want volunteers to take a good care of themselves. Also, even if food banking expands a lot, I hope that thoughtfulness, heart, and communication will remain as their core values as they are now.

I hope more people embrace the achievements and trust 2HJ’s pioneers like Charles created in the past and the greatness of the hard work of those staff members and volunteers in Tohoku. Also, I hope the network of those who share the spirit of food banking will grow steadily.

Oguri (left) and a fellow volunteer, Suzuki

Please also check out disaster relief blog!
Second Harvest Japan Disaster Relief Report

You can donate online now!

Contents for 2011 Issue No. 2 include:

-2HJ Delivered More Food than Ever in 2011
-Support is Still Greatly Needed - Relief Report
-2,600 people & 100 companies donated food
-2HJ Wins PR Award Grand Prix

Click to view 2011 Issue No. 2 [PDF: 1,710 KB]

Please also check out disaster relief blog!
Second Harvest Japan Disaster Relief Report

You can donate online now!