A story from an intern at the Saitama warehouse

We are proud to present an intern story written by Mr. Shirai who joins us at the pickups in Saitama every Saturday

Hello! I am Shirai, an intern at the pickups at the Saitama warehouse which is held every Saturday. I am here to share with you my wonderful volunteering experience at the Saitama warehouse as an intern.

The frequent and direct interactions with the pickup users make my experience special at the pickups at the Saitama warehouse.

I get to talk with the users when checking in and delivering food or while waiting. Our topic of conversation can range from the weather to the food they like. This may be just a casual chitchat, but our conversation helps put a face to the service I participate. Such interactions assure me the significance of the service we provide and why we do what we do.

The Harvest Lunch is also another opportunity in 2HJ to directly interact with the users. I prefer the pickups because it gives me a greater opportunity to talk with them individually. It also gives me a stronger sense of accomplishment and significance. Furthermore, I must mention that I get to hear the words of appreciation more often during the pickups. Being thanked is not the reason why I volunteer. Yet, I cannot deny the fact that being thanked makes me happy. It also assures me that my service is indeed needed. Having to witness the food that would otherwise be wasted, being put to a good use is also a great experience.

Currently, about 60 households visit daily at our pickup service at the Saitama warehouse. While it is exciting to see more users, it is also difficult to manage the increased workload with the current set of volunteers.

If you are interested, please join us volunteer. The door is open for anyone; those who are interested in food loss or social problems, or those who are looking for a reason to start volunteering. I am confident you can gain a lot from this experience.

The pickup volunteers at the Saitama warehouse starts at 1PM every Saturday. If you are interested, please check the below volunteer calendar or email us at volunteer@2hj.org.

http://www.2hj.org/support/calendar/