Above picture shows us the scene when people took the supplies delivered with track.
(2011/03/23, Iwate-prefecture, Kamaishi-city)
After the earthquake, I joined NPO "2nd Harvest Japan (2HJ)".
2HJ is a volunteer institutions which organize the volunteer project called as "food bank".
Food Bank
A
food bank or
foodbank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes mostly donated food to a wide variety of agencies that in turn feed the hungry. The largest sources of food are for-profit growers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers who in the normal course of business have excess food that they cannot sell. After sorting and inventory, a food bank distributes the food to 100 to 1,000 non-profit community or government agencies, including but not limited to food pantries,
soup kitchens,
homeless shelters,
orphanages, and
schools.
(cited from Wikipedia, as usual, hahaXD)
I've been interested in the above organization since I found the article about 2HJ on newspapaer one-half years ago.
However, the trigger pushed me to take action to join the activity was the Tohoku earthquake.
When I spent a night at refuge,
(see the previous article
"What do you need when you encounter earthquake?")
I realize how essential the food is to charge ourselves (both physically and mentally)
The letters we can see on the card board boxes in above picture says
元気出して＝Chin up!
Of course, keeping spirits high is crucial.
However, we need a lot of energy to hold on when we're in difficulty.
Things we need to charge ourselves are, after all, physical conditions.
Food, sleep and air-conditioning
(especially
heat, in this season at Tohoku)
The above picture effectively shows the condition and needs in the area.
Now I guess, the same situation must have happened in the similar type disasters.
(Like Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, 2004, resulting in the Indian Ocean tsunami)
So far, I couldn't exactely imagine what's needed by the people under emergency.
Now I understand the things required by the people in such condition.
(at least a bit)
The experince of Tohoku earthquake makes me more open to gather and imagine the things happened I haven't taken much notice so far.
