The history of Second Harvest Japan
The best way to solve a problem is to help every individual involved and craft an effective solution together. Second Harvest Japan has been committed in helping people since its earliest days, when it was called Food Bank Japan. (Our name was changed to Second Harvest Japan in late 2004.)
The Idea: Kome Caravan
In late December of 1999, Shigeo Kogure, a photojournalist held a rice drive as part of his photo exhibition featuring Tokyo’s homeless. His project, “Kome (Rice) Caravan”, collected 1.7 tons of rice. The rice was then used to feed many homeless people throughout Tokyo, from December 27 of that year to January 4, 2000.
The idea of collecting and redistributing food is not new to Tokyo, but it was Hiroshi Fujita who saw how effective the Kome Caravan project was. Starting in January 2000, he organized meetings with groups and individuals who found a high level of interest and were willing to help. Positive responses from newspaper articles described the successful caravan, confirming that the time was right to begin building Japan’s first real food bank.
“The response to Kome Caravan was so much greater than expected—initially, I was just wondering if there was any way to build on it further,” said Fujita. People were now ready to work together and create something bigger than his primordial expectations.
Some of the volunteers of Second Harvest Japan
The next step: FBJ becomes an NPO
In early 2002, FBJ made an important step. After working for two years as a coalition of homeless aid groups, union members and individuals, it was time for us to legally restructure as a non-profit organization (NPO). Business professionals and others had been working on a two-year business plan for a viable food bank since the summer of 2001. This made it easier for us to quickly write and submit our NPO application.
On March 11 2002, a general meeting was held at Sophia University’s Catholic Center. At this meeting, our articles of incorporation, board members, Executive Director and business plan were approved, and the newly approved Executive Director Charles E. McJilton outlined Food Bank Japan’s vision for the next few years, stressing in particular the need for FBJ to be inclusive and open to all people.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government officially approved us as Japan’s first legally incorporated non-profit food bank on July 24, 2002. We changed our name to Second Harvest Japan in late 2004.