‘Vegetable Supporters’ Activities Monthly Report of April
(The NGO Collaboration Center for Hanshin Quake Rehabilitation)
The NGO Collaboration Center in Hyogo has been purchasing agricultural products from farmers in the areas affected by the eruption of Mount Shinmoe in Miyazaki prefecture, with donations by Vegetable Supporters, and delivering them to the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Recently as many people have moved from shelters to temporary houses, more vegetables are now used for cooking at their homes. Vegetables are delivered promptly and effectively as soon as they arrive in the affected areas, thanks to the organizations working there. Needless to say, we must think about how we will help the economy in the affected areas to recover as well. Some people in Yamada-machi, Iwate prefecture said to us, “We will buy things at local shops to cheer up the local economy”. On the other hand, our food deliveries are still appreciated by people living at shelters and in the areas where shopping is still difficult.
Thanks to your support, we have made approximately 730 shipments to 35 locations, delivering more than 5300 boxes of vegetables since the first shipment on March 13th. In June the rainy season started and the temperature has been high since late June, which is making vegetables go off easily. In order to delivery safe and delicious vegetables to people in the affected areas, and not to waste donations from our supporters, we are going to make shipments less frequently from July delivering vegetables which do not go off easily such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins and burdocks and vegetable juice.
Miyazaki Prefecture has been attacked by heavy rain and people living at the bottom of Mount Shinmoe are worried about occurrence of mudslide. On June 16th, Miyakonojo city issued a temporary evacuation advisory. After the eruption on June 29th, ash was blown towards the direction of Ebino Plateau located in the north-east of Mount Shinmoe. From the large-scale eruption in January through the beginning of Spring, ash was mainly blown to east and south, but areas to which ash is blown to are changing as the directions of the wind area changing due to change of the seasons . One of the staff working in Takaharu-cho, Ms. M said, “There are days when the air smells sulfurous and on those days, I worry about eruption. In this situation, the farmers in Miyazaki told us that the fact that people in Tohoku are lightening up by eating our vegetables gives us encouragement.” Some supporters in Kansai, after knowing about this activity, purchased Miyazaki vegetables saying “We want to eat vegetables from Miyazaki too” and “We want to sell them at events”.
Thank you for your cooperation for vegetable supporters in advance.
Shipments in June
● Tono city in Iwate prefecture: Tono Magokoro Network (Shipped everyday from April 6th and alternate days from May 20th)
● Ohfunato city in Iwate prefecture: Sansan No Kai (shipped weekly from April 30th through June 17th)
● Sendai city in Miyagi prefecture: Japan International Food for the Hungry (shipped almost every day from April 6th)
● Sendai city in Miyagi prefecture: NPO Spo-Art Support KANSAI (shipped on June 5th and 19th )
● Ishinomaki city in Miyagi prefecture: Yogon-ji Temple (private shelter) (shipped every 4 days from April 20th to June 1st)
● Ishinomaki city in Miyagi prefecture: NPO Fair Trade Tohoku（shipped on April 21st , and on alternate days from April 29th）
● Shichirigahama-machi, Miyagi-gun, Miyagi prefecture: Shelter at the Lifetime Study Center (shipped biweekly from May 9th to June 18th)
● Iwaki city in Fukushima prefecture: NPO Commune “Commune with Midwives” (shipped weekly from April 13th)
● Koriyama city in Fukushima prefecture: NPO Heart-Net Fukushima (shipped on twice a week from April 16th)
In addition to the above locations, we have shipped to shelters and supporters in Morioka city, Yamada-machi and Otsuchi-cho in Iwate prefecture, Ishinomaki city, Minamisanriku-cho, Murata-machi , Kesen-numa city and Yamoto-cho in Miyagi prefecture, and Asaka-machi and Iwaki city in Fukushima prefecture, through introduction by an NPO in Takaharu-cho in Miyagi prefecture, Takaharu heartom.
The NGO Collaboration Center for Hanshin Quake Rehabilitation
TEL: +81-(0)78-574-0701
E-mail：ngo@pure.ne.jp
http://tohoku-pacific-eq.seesaa.net/
7/20/2011