"I only look at who I'm working with": The essence of support shared by 92 organizations

At the general meeting on February 25th and 26th,
representatives of support organizations gathered from all over the country brought with them the real voices from the field.
It was a passionate time that went beyond mere reporting of numbers. Here is a glimpse of that.

I only look at who I'm working with.

Regarding the development of new restaurants, a representative of one support organization said this:

"Rather than price or menu, I only look at whether the owner understands the meaning of this activity. I reach out to shop owners who are agile and involved in local festivals and events."

Instead of simply increasing the number of restaurants that can provide meals, partner with people who share your vision.
That attitude is creating a relationship like "second grandparents" between users and shop owners.

It's okay to have things you can't do. You can just do them together.

A story arrived from a support organization in Kanagawa Prefecture.
At a set-meal restaurant run by a couple in their 70s, the proprietress was not used to smartphone payment operations and began asking users to "teach me."

That relationship, which was awkward at first, has now become a habit of doing the operation together every time, and the proprietress has become like a "second mother" to the user's family.
It is not a relationship of supporter and supported, but one of doing things together.
That atmosphere opened the hearts of users who tend to be isolated.

We kept track of birthdays and thought about how to use the tickets together.

Introduced as an initiative of one support organization is an approach where they keep track of the birthdays of users' children in advance and
individually suggest, "Why not try using it at a cake shop this month?"

It's not just about handing over the tickets; it's about thinking through how to use them together.
That extra effort led to a sense for the users that "someone cares about me."

Are we really reaching the families that need it? We are constantly asking ourselves this.

A representative of one support organization said this:
"We have provided over 2 million yen in support through the nationwide Dokodemo Kodomo Shokudo. But as the amount increased, I began to ask myself if it was really reaching the families that needed it. Building one-on-one trust is the premise for everything."

Without getting carried away by the expansion of support, the attitude of continuing to face each household one by one brought a quiet tension to the entire meeting room.

Have the users themselves introduce the next family.

One support organization is expanding its support by asking users who are already using the tickets to "let us know if you have any acquaintances in a similar situation."

"The families who are truly in trouble are the ones who cannot speak up for themselves. But if it's an introduction from someone in the same position, it's easier to accept."
There was a passing of the baton of trust that crossed the boundary between supporter and user.

We are operating on the concept of 'paying it forward'.

A representative of one support organization expressed the underlying philosophy of their activities this way:
"Because I was helped by someone, I now pass it on to the next person.
Not paying it back, but paying it forward. I believe this activity is exactly that."

The person who received it will one day become the person who delivers it.
Dokodemo Kodomo Shokudo exists within that cycle.

92 organizations nationwide,
each in a different region, facing different challenges,
yet moving in the same direction.

It is your donations that support the activities of these people.

Someone who has received kindness will one day become the one who delivers it.
To keep that cycle going, why not pay it forward to the next person from your hands today?

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