300 yen provides a full meal for a child: The 'Food Ribbon Project,' which supports nutrition through the goodwill gathered at restaurants, launches a crowdfunding campaign to expand to 1,000 locations nationwide

The Long Spoon Association (Location: Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture; Representative Director: Nobuyuki Hashimoto) will launch a crowdfunding campaign on the 'CAMPFIRE' platform starting Saturday, April 4, 2026, to accelerate the nationwide expansion of the 'Food Ribbon Project,' which supports children's nutrition through the goodwill gathered at local restaurants.

Marking the 5th anniversary of its establishment on May 5, 2026, as a milestone, the organization aims to first expand to 1,000 locations nationwide. In the long term, it is accelerating its challenge to create places where children can eat with peace of mind in all 18,545 public elementary school districts across the country.

The challenge of reaching 20,000 stores to ensure no child goes without 'today's meal'

In Japan, it is estimated that one in nine children lives in relative poverty (2022, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare 'Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions'), and 12.1% of households with children have experienced being 'unable to provide necessary meals for economic reasons' (calculated by the Children and Families Agency based on the 2022 National Institute of Population and Social Security Research 'Survey on Living and Mutual Support'). There are by no means few children who feel anxious about their 'meal for today.'

However, these problems are often difficult to see from the outside, and the reality is that the families who need support the most are the ones who find it hardest to speak up. That is precisely why we need an environment where children can naturally rely on others in their daily lives.

We believe that local restaurants can play this role. By collaborating with local governments to support the introduction of this system to restaurants, we have been expanding the Food Ribbon initiative. Currently, 303 stores participate. Our initial goal is to expand to 1,000 locations nationwide, with the long-term objective of creating a place in every public elementary school district (18,545 locations) where no child has to worry about their 'meal for today.'

As we reach the 5th anniversary of the project on May 5, 2026, we will use this crowdfunding campaign to accelerate our efforts to spread these reliable 'places for food' for children across the country.

What is the Food Ribbon Project?

Food Ribbon is a system that supports children's 'meal for today' through local restaurants.

Adults visiting the restaurant 'pre-purchase' a 300-yen ribbon, which covers one meal for a child. The ribbons are displayed in the store, and by using one, any child within the target age group can receive a meal for free.

It has the following three features: - Available every day: Can be used on summer vacation or days when school lunches are not provided, as long as the store is open. - Age is the only condition: Economic status is not a factor. - 100% of support goes to a child's meal: The full 300-yen donation for one ribbon goes directly toward a meal.

By being located in familiar, everyday places like local restaurants, a 'place to rely on when in trouble' is created within the community. Furthermore, because local adults purchase the 300-yen ribbons, the support circulates, reducing the burden on the restaurants and enabling the continuous provision of meals.

The Food Ribbon Project is an activity to root 'places where children can eat with peace of mind' in communities and expand them nationwide. We collaborate with local governments to explain the project and support its introduction to restaurants. We also provide participating stores with the necessary guidelines and tools to create an environment where they can participate without undue burden.

[Track Record] - Number of meals provided via ribbons: 62,127 meals - Food Ribbon participating stores: 305 stores - Food Ribbon active stores: 215 stores - Partnering local governments: 16 (including Ichikawa City, Chiba; Izumiotsu City, Osaka; Marugame City, Kagawa, etc.)

Crowdfunding Overview

Project Name: Delivering 'Today's Meal' and 'Peace of Mind' to children nationwide. Expanding Food Ribbon nationwide! Scheduled Period: Saturday, April 4, 2026 – Sunday, May 24, 2026, 23:59 Target Amount: 5.55 million yen Platform: CAMPFIRE URL: https://camp-fire.jp/projects/894050/ Rewards: Food Ribbon Bear plushie, ribbon mini-keychain, name listing on the website, etc. Use of Funds: Building the foundation for expanding participating stores (procurement and distribution of necessary supplies such as ribbons, stickers, and banners; website improvements; creation of implementation guidelines, etc.)

Project Manager: Hiroaki Kato

We are taking on the challenge of delivering access to today's meal and daily peace of mind to all children by rolling out a new form of 'children's cafeteria' called 'Food Ribbon' together with restaurant owners across the country.

Even today, as we go about our daily lives, problems like 'child poverty' and 'isolation/solitary eating' exist in Japan. These problems are passed down from parent to child, across generations, threatening the freedom and possibilities of children's 'now' and their 'future.'

There may be a child near you who is struggling but cannot speak up. Children cannot change their circumstances on their own. But if we adults stand up, we should be able to change society. We invite you to join our activities through this crowdfunding campaign.

Organization Overview

Organization Name: Long Spoon Association Representative Director: Nobuyuki Hashimoto Address: A&Y Building 3F-39, 5-13-33 Myoden, Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture Date of Establishment: May 6, 2021 Official Website: https://longspoon.net/ Inquiries regarding this matter: info@longspoon.net