About Meals on Wheels Japan (MOW Japan)
Kakuji Hirano
CEO, Meals on Wheels Japan

Overview
In 1986, Meals on Wheels Japan (MOWJapan), formerly known as Meals for the Aged
Liaison Committee, was established byFukinotoh, a Setagaya, Tokyo-based social
welfare corporation conducting food support
activities through hosting lunch parties anddelivering meals since 1983, with thecooperation of other food aid groups in Japan.
Since then, MOW Japan has been a liaisonorganization for these groups through sharing
information, conducting a research study andorganizing seminars to upskill group staff. In
2001, MOW Japan concluded a sisterorganization relationship agreement with theMeals on Wheels South Australia Association(MOWSA), with which it had interacted foryears. Between 2016 and 2019, MOW Japan
served as the secretariat of the executive
committee organizing the nationwide tour topromote and establish "kodomo shokudo"(children's cafeteria) throughout Japan, withfinancialbackingfromTheCentralCommunity Chest of Japan (CCCJ). Alongwith it, MOW Japan organized a council topromote kodomo shokudo in cooperation withintermediate child support groups and otherorganizations, including Japan NationalCouncil of Social Welfare, National Federationof
Minsei-iin/Jido-iin
Community/ChildWelfare Volunteers, National Council ofWomen'sShelter,
Japan
Adventure
Playground Association, Child-rearing Hiroba
National
LiaisonCouncil,
National
Association of Resident-Participation Type InHome Mutual Ａ id Service Organizations,
CCCJ, and Tokyo Voluntary Action Center. In
2019, MOW Japan started to develop themodel to support kodomo shokudo in
Fukushima, Osaka, Kitakyushu, and Naha,
with the grant of dormant deposits. And in
2020, MOW Japan launched Meals on Wheels
Logistics System (MOWLS). It accelerates
cooperation
amongsupportgroups,
administrations and companies so that thoseaffected by the Covid-19 pandemic and in needof food support, such as children of singleparent families and older people, can receive
donations from companies.

URL：https://mow.jp/
Address：6-19-21 Kamiyoga, Setagata, Tokyo 158-0098, Japan
Tel: 81-3-5426-2547 saposen@mow.jp kakuzi@mow.jp（direct to Kakuji Hirano）
Mission: Expand our community support through Meals.

Our Activity
Meals on Wheels Logistics System (MOWLS)
MOW Japan served as the secretariat of
the executive committee for the nationwide
tour to promote kodomo shokudo between
2016 and 2019. The tour all started when Ms.
Michiko Yamazaki, Director of Tokyo
Voluntary Action Center, introduced to us Ms.
Chieko Kuribayashi, president of Toshima
Kodomo Shokudo WAKUWAKU Network,
who asked us to help promote kodomo
shokudo in Japan. The three-year campaign
opened many kodomo shokudo cafeterias invarious regions. In 2019, MOW Japanestablished "Kodomo Shokudo Support
Center" in Fukushima, Osaka, Kitakyushu,
and Naha to develop the model to support
kodomo shokudo, with financial backing
from Japan Network for Public Interest
Activities (JANPIA). However, the subsequent
Covid-19 pandemic forced schools to close andshrank touring, restaurant and othertransactive industries. As a result, theemployment of tourism and related
businesses in tourist sites became unstable,
and the number of impoverished households
increased. Many kodomo shokudo cafeterias
operated at public facilities were told toclosebythefacilityandpublicadministration. Still, many operators of
kodomoshokudo,"chiikishokudo"(regional cafeteria for multigeneration
people), and food banks continued to caterto the needs of single-parent families atsuch a difficult time by switching theiractivities to the food drive and delivery ofpacked meals.
Even before we established Support Center,
community groups had called for various
types of support. Many companies responded
to them, joined Support Center's cause andoffered their cooperation through food aid. At
the same time, companies wanted to cut thedelivery cost when making food donations
throughout Japan. In response, MOW Japandeveloped the "Meals on Wheels Logistics
System (MOWLS)" to mediate between
companies and support groups andredistribute donations. Now, 37 primary(logistic) sites accept food aid, and 76
regional (hub) sites distribute them tocommunity groups throughout Japan. So far,in cooperation with other intermediaries inJapan, a total of 500 tons of food have been
donated to about 1,800 groups through
MOWLS.
Since 2019, MOW Japan has made themost of the highly public dormant deposits
funded by JANPIA to develop and improve
the logistic system of donated foods by
combining the network of logistic-hub sites
and child support groups expanded throughenhancing kodomo shokudo support function,and the stock-share scheme of donation.