Feeding the less fortunate

1/14/14 - 
The below article was printed in the Yomiuri Shimbun on December 25, 2013. It discusses the Tuesday night feed the less fortunate event. A translation of the article is below. The Yomiuri Shimbun is the largest circulating newspaper in Japan and in the world.

- Begin translation -
Gifts on Christmas Eve

Yomiuri Shimbun (Local page)         December 25, 2013

Approximately 40 Christians from Catholic Church Yokosuka Mikasa and U.S. service members' families on board Yokosuka Naval Base, provided food, clothes and blankets for the homeless and needy people in two parks at Shioiri-cho and Ogawa-cho, Dec. 24.

"It is warm," said a man, 64, who received a bowl of hot Japanese risotto with vegetables in it. "I had a good Christmas."

The soup-run was started by priests from the church and the base chaplain eight years ago, and was taken over by the church's parishioners and the base members.  At present, the soup-run is held every Tuesday with the cooperation of a local bakery.  The participants wore Santa Claus hats and handed out small cakes to create a Christmas atmosphere.

Anders Remeland, 12, who has been involved in the soup-run for two years, said volunteer activities are fun.

"I hope our activities will help people in need, and urge the government to do something," said Shin Takeuchi, Christian, 53.
- End translation - 

11/24/13 - MC2 McCormack of CSG7 submitted an article to Navy.mil after a recent Tuesday night event on 19 November. SUBGRU 7 Sailors Give Food to Yokosuka's Less Fortunate

The clothing drive is off to a tremendous start. People have been donating new or nearly new clothes ranging from socks to leather jackets.  These are not throwaway clothes and your generosity is truly appreciated.  Mikasa Catholic church (the ones that will complete the distribution process to the folks in Yokosuka) are very appreciative and amazed. I'll be posting photos of some of the donated clothes on the Quick Notes page. 

Founders

The real heroes of the feeding the poor program in Yokosuka are shown above. Shin is the leader (2nd from left) and has been at this every week for the last seven years since Mikasa Catholic Church started it. Despite having injured his ankle recently he keeps going. Yoichi (goes by Marcy) is another leader (in the blue) and speaks pretty good English. He runs a photography business during the day. 

Serving up some hot food for the poor

The soup cart is relatively new and replaces an older version. Some kind folks from the base made it. Has two built in holes for rice cookers where they place curry, soup, rice, etc. Cabinets hold plates and utensils. 

Verny Park location

At the second location near City Hall

Kinnick High School Volunteers

Every Tuesday night dedicated volunteers head out to to provide food to the poor of Yokosuka. The Kinnick High Schoolers are regulars.  You're awesome and set a great example!

A

Above shows just some of the clothes being collected for the poor during the first week of the clothing drive.  There were another 8 or so bags in addition to the ones shown above that were delivered previously. People are being very generous in both the quantity and quality.  Even new clothes are being donated. Thanks to all of you who are supporting.

week 2 load

Dropped off in the Mikasa Church

11/27/13 Again I'd like to thank all those who donated. We asked that you not donate your throwaways and you came through with new clothes or clothes in excellent condition. We had hats, socks, underwear, pants, lots of warm sweaters or sweatshirts, and jackets.  People took care to fold and press the used clothes. Your work and effort did not go unnoticed. Thank you so much and the poor of Yokosuka thank you.

IS 58:7-10

Thus says the LORD:
Share your bread with the hungry,
shelter the oppressed and the homeless;
clothe the naked when you see them,
and do not turn your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!
If you remove from your midst
oppression, false accusation and malicious speech;
if you bestow your bread on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
then light shall rise for you in the darkness,
and the gloom shall become for you like midday.


9/29/13 update (older entries below)
If you are interested in helping out or have any questions about helping the homeless or less fortunate of Yokosuka, please e-mail yoko.hopeoutreach "at" gmail "dot" com.

A few more pictures and info are on the "Quick Notes" page.

Since the last update we've been able to meet the organizer "Shin" and get to know him a bit more. We will likely be coordinating a clothing drive in the near future and hopefully a personal hygiene item drive.

The clothing drive will be important as the colder weather arrives. We could use a Japanese speaker to help us coordinate these things with Shin. So if you can speak Japanese and are able to spare a little time, please let me know either through the address above or through the comment section below. All comments are moderated and I will not publish your comment, but it will reach me.

Also, with the help of CFAY Public Affairs division, a reporter from the Yomiuri Shimbun attended one of the Tuesday night outings, interviewing Shin and several of the participants.  I'm unsure if an article will eventually be published but that would be helpful to raise awareness.

It's been encouraging that even with the largest ship in Yokosuka gone, the attendance at these outings has been great. Thanks to all of you who've been helping out.



5.1.13 update:
Have made it to about 4 of these Tuesday night outings so far. The weather has only cooperated on one of the nights with the others windy and cool - but it can't stay like this for long! While many of my previous questions remain unanswered, these evenings have been inspiring because of those I've met.

The primary contributors from the base are the CSADD organizations.  These sailors have made the decision to donate their time out of their surely busy young lives to this worthy cause.  They are young, energetic and set a great example.

The Japanese gentleman I mentioned below that prepares the soup goes by "Shin." He is a representative of Mikasa Catholic Church, right outside Womble gate. He's been doing this every week for the last 7 years I believe.   Shin usually arrives with his rolling cart around 7:15-7:30 pm and his arrival signals all to start heading over to the Verny Park area to meet those needing assistance.  Being able to have a bowl of hot soup means a lot to them. Someone else bought a bunch of McDonald's hamburgers to distribute along with the soup.

Another group I got to meet were a few stand-up students from Kinnick High School.  They were getting credit for community service hours for the National Honor Society. It was a real pleasure being around kids with such character and smarts. They even stated the quadratic formula correctly and complained about the amount of homework they received. The schools over here are not free rides - well done Kinnick!

Lastly I met (Elders) Russ and Dan from the Church of Latter Day Saints. They looked about 18 years old. Russ was almost done with his two year missionary tour and Dan about 8 months into it. I asked how they ended up getting involved and they simply said that one day they saw a bunch of Americans walking around and decided to see what they were up to. Then decided to participate themselves! I found out later that their tours are not funded by the church. Instead they are funded by family and friends, and by saving through their teenage years. It can't be cheap staying in Japan for two years with no income (they don't receive a stipend or anything from the church). They even offer a free Japanese class every Thursday at 7pm that's very close to base. I'm hesitant to post their e-mail address (if your interested in the classes) but if you contact me I'll pass it on to you.

Meeting all these young folks with such character was very inspiring.



Original post - 3/28/13  When I first started to write about the places to eat in Yokosuka, little did I realize that one day I would write about helping the homeless or less fortunate of our brothers and sisters here in Yokosuka. Such is the way that life works sometimes.

Although my present and future involvement in this cause is still evolving, I am fortunate to have come across it. Using the blog to raise awareness of the issue is the least I can do. The main purpose of the blog is to find good restaurants - both hidden and in the open - in Yokosuka, and occasionally beyond as the title says. Certainly enjoy the food and the friendliness that these places offer. And lets be thankful for just how fortunate we are to be able to enjoy the relative luxury of restaurant dining.

Those we served tonight are certainly not able to enjoy a restaurant meal. You could see it in their eyes. They were needy - yes, but even more so they were humble, thankful, and oh so kind.  The perspective is crystal clear. Many of life's little problems are just that - little. While we may worry what may happen years into the future, these people face an uncertain next day or week. Seeing these people - and the example they set in their humility - will I hope help me keep the perspective on life.

Soup wagon

I was impressed with the show of force from the base, counting at least 60, who came with ready to eat food. CSADD Yokosuka is a big player as is CFAY, the GW, and the USNH.  In total we served 40 to 50 less fortunate brothers and sisters.  It's hard for many to believe, but even in Japan, and here in Yokosuka there are homeless, those down on their luck, or just in need of a handout. They are someone's brother, sister, son, daughter, mother, father, grandpa, grandma. Yet they are standing outside in the cool air, in a polite line like you find all over Japan, patiently waiting for the food to be placed in their bags.

How can this happen in a society with a strong social welfare system? While I'm not sure of the answer, I've heard that to apply for benefits or a job you need to have a physical address.  When you're living on the street you don't have an address.  Whether all those we saw tonight are homeless is hard to say. But whatever their circumstance they all needed help.

The process is simple. Every Tuesday evening meet in front of Daiei Mall at 7:15 pm. The procession mainly stops by Verny Park and the park across from City Hall. The folks know the routine and wait patiently. We walk down their line placing our food into their bags. There is a Japanese gentleman who prepares hot soup and rolls it on a cart. At each destination bowls of hot soup are distributed.

The experience did leave me with many questions though. Where do they "live"? What is each person's individual situation? Is what we are providing what they need and could they use something else? What are we missing? Can we get it for them? Is there any way we can get them new clothes or a warm shower?  I'm sure these questions have been asked before and I hope to get filled in on the answers.  Periodically I hope to provide updates on this blog.