Working to solve social problems through food waste
The Food Bank Student Team was launched in April 2021. Food banks are an activity that delivers food waste that is still edible but would otherwise be thrown away to people in poverty and support groups. The student team's activities include visiting and investigating children's cafeterias and support groups for people in poverty in Ichikawa City, as well as planning and running a food pantry in collaboration with the Ichikawa City Social Welfare Council, which is involved in food bank activities in the city.
Currently, the main activity is the food pantry. A food pantry is a place where people who need food assistance can receive it when they need it. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we thought it would be possible for students to carry out this type of (mutual support) activity on campus, so we have been holding regular food pantries once a month since December 2021. The student team is responsible for all operations, including creating flyers, disseminating information, dividing up rice and drinking water, and distributing them on the day.
Food bank activities contribute greatly to reducing corporate waste and achieving the SDGs of creating a people-friendly society. They also provide a forum for students in Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, which promotes social active learning, to learn about social issues and take action to solve them.
I first learned about the SDGs when I entered university. My main reason for participating in this activity was that I was particularly interested in food waste. I also felt that the issue of people who are unable to receive social systems or support, but are struggling to make ends meet due to economic impacts, was a problem close to home. The burden on students living alone, who are particularly close to home, has been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and I thought that we students could solve the problem by taking some action, so I started a food pantry to work with the social issue of food waste, which is one of the SDGs.
Through these activities, we hope to support students' lives from the perspective of food, and to encourage them to focus on their studies, various experiences, and activities. We also want to create an environment where students can feel free to talk to us about any mental worries or concerns they may have about their lives.
Chino Yokota (graduated from Keiai Gakuen High School)