As prices continue to soar, December has arrived, and the winter vacation and New Year holidays are approaching.
There is also a growing movement to send food and other support to families facing financial concerns so that they can welcome the New Year with peace of mind.
Among them, the international NGO "Save the Children Japan" is carrying out activities to deliver relief supplies to single-parent households and families in financial difficulty.
At a warehouse in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture, about 10 people, including NGO staff and volunteers from private companies that provide supplies, were packing food and other items into boxes.
In the box named "Winter Vacation Children's Food Support Box", in addition to 5 kg of rice and retort food, there are 40 kinds of juices and sweets for children, and rice cakes for New Year's.
When we made a similar effort in the summer of this year, there were applications that greatly exceeded the planned 3200 households, and when we prepared 5000 households this time, there were more than 5700 applications, and it was a lottery. .
From those who applied, "I was infected with Corona and my salary has decreased significantly. Kerosene is expensive and food expenses are on the backburner." ' and other voices were received.
Sonoko Kawakami, director of the domestic business department of "Save the Children Japan", said, "I'm surprised by the number of applications that exceeded my expectations. The impact of the new corona has been prolonged, and the price hike has overlapped, making it difficult for households to live in the first place. The burden is coming. I want you to eat something warm and spend the New Year's Eve."