Monday, August 23, 2010
Welcome to Second Harvest Japan!
Thanks to your support, Second Harvest Japan delivered about 560 tons of food to those in need such as orphanages and women’s shelters in 2009. But, in Japan, there are still many people in need of our help while a lot of safe and edible food are thrown away for various reasons. We want to deliver more food to those in need. In order to make this happen, we need your help. Thank you very much for your support!
Particularly in summer, since children don’t have school lunches, many single mothers worry about meals for their children. Your donation will deliver food to people like those single mothers and children. Please join our efforts to feed those in need! Thank you!
・Volunteer
・Make a donation
Now online donation is available!
If you like this story, you might also enjoy:
Office Manager Masahiro Otake’s U.S. Food Bank Travelogue Vol. 1
2HJ’s new video - Thank you very much for your support!
Link to News story »
2HJ Board Member Toshifumi Aso Passed Away
2HJ Board Member Toshifumi Aso passed away on July 31, 2010.
We present here a message from 2HJ CEO Charles McJilton.
We rarely remember exactly what a person tells us, but we always remember how the person left us feeling.
I first met Aso-sensei in 2000 when my daughter and I planted rice on his farm in the countryside. The eclectic members that showed up that day to work was a testament to how wide a circle Aso-sensei travelled in. There were high school drop outs, an assortment of foreigners (an especially large contingent of Filipinas), “ordinary Japanese,” and “others.” And to Aso-sensei they were all friends whom he continually joked with and gave a warm smile to one and all.
In 2001 I approached Aso-sensei to be on our board and he immediately said yes. Not only did he say yes, but he helped us find office space at another organization he was helping to run. In addition, he introduced us to several agencies who support Filipino migrants, particularly women, in Japan. We still serve those organizations today.
I cannot tell you word-for-word what Aso-sensei said to me, but I can tell you I always felt supported by him and a sense of gratitude for the work we were doing. He seemed to be deeply appreciative for our work and to be a part of it. His warm smile, gentle voice, and words of encouragement always touched me deeply. I never once felt like a foreigner with him, but like a younger brother.
He chaired our very first general meeting and opened with a prayer. In part, he asked that day to give us guidance as we go about our work to serve those in need. I am grateful for the guidance and time he spent with us. Much too short, but his legacy lives on in the lives he touched. I remember how he touched me and I am grateful I had a chance to meet him.
All 2HJ staff members are deeply grateful for his support. May his soul rest in peace.
Here are links to Aso’s blogs:
V. O. A (Japanese)
Reverend Toshifumi Aso (English)
2HJ’s new video - Thank you very much for your support!
Volunteer interview No.3: Kanoko Uegaki
Food for Thought—Part 2: “Stamp Out Hunger”—The Largest Single-Day Food Drive in the U.S.
Link to News story »
Thursday, July 01, 2010
2HJ in the Media
May 31, 2010 - Charles McJilton Interviewed by Allianz
This is an easy-to-understand FAQ style interview about 2HJ.
June 5, 2010 - 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!
Link to News story »
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Introducing 2HJ’s New Volunteer Leader
2HJ welcomed its new volunteer coordinator, Sachiko Ashman, in May 2010. As we’re sure our volunteers will be working a lot with her, we’re introducing her here with a simple interview.
“I want to create a fun and free atmosphere for all volunteers”: 2HJ Volunteer Coordinator Sachiko Ashman
Q: How did you find out about 2HJ?
I somehow found out about foodbanking in the U.S., and while watching YouTube videos of actual activities in different places, I saw a spot video by 2HJ. Even though it wasn’t a particularly original video, it impacted me a great deal. After watching it, I immediately visited 2HJ’s home page. I thought, “There’s an organization that’s passionate about foodbanking even in Japan!” and read every bit of the website. After that, I would sometimes take a look at news about their activities, and gradually, the idea, “I want to join 2HJ’s activities as a volunteer,” became stronger and stronger. This was three years ago.
Q: Why did you get interested in 2HJ’s activities?
Of course I felt a sense of connection to many of their activities, but even before that, I really felt that 2HJ’s philosophy and activities were true. I could feel the passion of the people involved, the warmth of their spirit, and the strength of their energy as they moved in the direction they’re seeking. Their unshakable conviction was something that transcended distance and time. I wondered why I felt as if I had met kindred spirits even though I was in London at the time.
Q: What do you want to accomplish as a volunteer coordinator?
I want to work hard to preserve the fun atmosphere created by Charles, the staff and the volunteer coordinators before me so everyone (volunteers and staff) can enjoy the activities freely and easily. Besides that, my major goal is to create new activities that show gratitude to the community where 2HJ has its base and make the entire area healthy. My minor goal is to have a project that makes compost from the large amount of vegetable scraps that are produced by the Friday and Saturday activities every week.
Sachiko lived in England before becoming 2HJ’s volunteer coordinator this year. Her international outlook will serve 2HJ well. All volunteers, please continue to give her your warm support!
If you like this story, you might also enjoy:
Volunteer interview No. 3: Sanoko Uegaki
2HJ’s new video: “Thank you very much for your support!”
Voice from our clients - No.1: Asian People’s Friendship Society
Link to News story »
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Food for Thought—A Look at Food Banks in the U.S.A. Part 3:
John van Hengel : The Founder of the First Food Bank
Who Started Food Banks and How?
The third part in this series introduces how food banking started in the United States and later to spread to the world.
John van Hengel, founder of first food bank in the world (Photo courtesy of St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance)
The very first food bank in the world was started in 1967, in Arizona, by John van Hengel. When John learned that a local supermarket was throwing away large amounts of food every day, he talked to the store manager into donating the wasted food to a local soup kitchen that he was involved with. Soon, the amount of donated food grew and the soup kitchen had a surplus of food. Seeing this, John was inspired to create a system of collecting and saving food, much the same way a bank collects and saves money. This was the birth of the very first food bank in the world. This food bank, now operating as St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, continues to distribute food to people with low-income in Arizona.
Ten years after John started the first food bank in the world, more and more organizations started food banking activities. John became a consultant on food banking to many of these organizations. As a nationwide network to serve these food banks across the nation, America’s Second Harvest was organized in 1976. Later renamed to Feeding America, its mission is “providing food to Americans living with hunger.”
John explaining the mission of America’s Second Harvest (Photo courtesy of St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance)
John then started consulting organizations in Canada and Europe about food banking, and established International Food Banking Services, Inc., in 1986. The firm changed its name to Global Foodbanking Network (GFN) in 2006.
GFN supports local food banks in 18 countries in locations including South America and Africa. Second Harvest Japan has been a member of GFN as a representative of Japan since 2007.¹
2HJ Executive Director Charles McJilton sitting with John at the America’s Second Harvest annual meeting in Hollywood in September 2003
John’s message (see the following paragraph) is written on the board (Photo courtesy of St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance)
John passed away in 2005, but the spirit of his message that “The poor we will always have among us, but why the hungry?” lives on here in Japan, with us at Second Harvest Japan.
We also welcome your comments and thoughts. Mail us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and follow us on Twitter for the latest news about food banking in Japan (@2HJ_en in English, @2ndharvestjapan in Japanese).
References
All quotation and data come from St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance’s website unless otherwise specified.
¹ Global Foodbanking Network’s website.
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!
Link to News story »
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