Our experience tells us that more companies are ready to donate surplus and near out of date food. We have also discovered that when we are ready to deliver larger volumes, more non profit organizations (shelters, orphanages, soup kitchens) will be willing to accept these donations. With this in mind, our focus is first on making sure that we are able to handle the food that we are currently receiving. Second, we want to prepare FBK for the growth opportunities ahead.

Some of our accomplishments in the last few months include:

Opening our new FBK office and storage space!
Our permanent address at 37-14 Mimami-shimizu, Amagasaki 661-0985 (1st floor of Yamashige Unyu Office) will provide a home from which we can run the food bank, hold volunteer meetings and temporarily store food. FBK's phone # is 06-6496-4077.

Publicizing FBK's Mission:

• Japan House of Representatives member Ryuichi Doi sees the value of our work and is supporting and promoting FBK.
• We have a completed the Food Bank Kansai's new web site.
• We are developing a brochure to inform interested individuals and companies.
• We are publicized in email newsletters like the 'Kobe Samurai'.
• Look for FBK at regional fairs (contact us if you would like us to be represented at your fair)
• Improving our delivery process. We have written clear guidelines for new volunteers, created maps to each delivery location, designed easy to complete delivery logs, received signed legal waivers from all recipient NPOs and we regularly publish delivery schedules to all volunteers.

Our primary goals for 2004

• Strengthen our delivery team to insure long term dependability and opportunity for growth
• Secure funding to support operating cost and prepare delivering more food donations
• Raise awareness of food banking within the community and Japanese food industry
• Initiate community food bank events like gleaning farmer's fields, holding food drives in schools, attending fairs, etc.
  
  How you can help
  
• Help with deliveries -Can you spare 3 hours to make a delivery once or twice a month? Do you belong to a group that could, as a group, commit to delivering once a week? Please call 06-6496-4077 to become a volunteer
• Initiate a food drive at your school, identify ways to promote the food bank at your office, school, help with gleaning vegetables, etcﾅc
• Help with fundraising ﾅ| Do you know individuals at a company that we can contact about making a financial donation to Food Bank Kansai? Please email or call us at 06-6496-4077 to arrange a presentation. Personal donations are also gratefully accepted. If you or someone you know wishes to make a donation, please refer to the bank account information and kindly send us an email to with your contact information (name, address,and phone number). Thank you.

As a young organization we welcome your comments and ideas. Please contact us at anytime.