NPO Second Harvest Okinawa Awarded Okinawa Prefecture's 'FY2026 Child-rearing and Youth Household Food Support Project'

NPO Second Harvest Okinawa (Location: Tomigusuku City, Okinawa Prefecture; Representative Director: Tomoko Okudaira; hereinafter 'the Organization') has been awarded the 'FY2026 Child-rearing and Youth Household Food Support Project' by Okinawa Prefecture.

This project utilizes the national 'Local Revitalization Temporary Grant for Priority Support against Price Hikes' to distribute food and daily necessities through private support organizations, thereby supporting the livelihoods of child-rearing households and young single households affected by inflation. Furthermore, it aims to use food support as a gateway to connect individuals with monitoring and consultation services, fostering a system of ongoing regional support.

As the secretariat for this project, the Organization will handle procurement, inventory management, distribution, information management, training, and reporting. It will facilitate an environment where support organizations within the prefecture can easily conduct continuous distribution, monitoring, situation assessment, and referrals to support agencies. The Organization is committed to strengthening the regional safety net through food support, with a focus on developing a supply infrastructure across all of Okinawa, including remote islands.

[Project Overview] Project Name: FY2026 Child-rearing and Youth Household Food Support Project Outsourcing Implementation Period: May 2026 – March 31, 2027 Target: Single-parent households, multi-child households, and young single households in financial distress Key Activities: Securing food and daily necessities, prefecture-wide distribution, operational efficiency through IT, and building/managing a network of support organizations.

First Project Briefing Held The Organization held the first project briefing in a hybrid format on Friday, May 22, 2026. A total of 20 organizations participated (8 in-person, 12 online). With representatives from the Okinawa Prefectural Government's Children and Future Department in attendance, the briefing covered the project overview, roles of participating organizations, and operational rules.

The meeting emphasized that the project's goal is not only to provide stable food supplies but also to facilitate connections to monitoring and consultation services. Participating organizations were asked to assist with distribution, situation assessment, referrals, and monthly reporting, with the secretariat and local groups sharing responsibilities.

A second briefing for prospective participating organizations is scheduled for June to further expand regional collaboration.

Call for Corporate and Organizational Partners To ensure the continuous and stable operation of this project, collaboration with private companies, producers, and logistics/warehousing operators is essential, alongside government and local groups. The Organization is seeking proposals for the purchase of supplies, cooperation in logistics (warehousing and wide-area distribution), and the participation of local support groups. Donations of staple foods and side dishes are also continuously accepted.

Message from the Representative Tomoko Okudaira, Representative Director, NPO Second Harvest Okinawa Since our establishment in 2007, we have witnessed the hardships of life and the importance of mutual support in Okinawa's food assistance field. This project is not just about delivering food; it is an initiative to steadily build a mechanism within the community that connects people to necessary support, using food as an entry point. Achieving this requires collaboration not only with the government but also with food companies, warehousing firms, logistics providers, farmers, and local support groups. We invite proposals for the purchase of food and daily necessities, cooperation in warehousing and distribution, and the participation of local support groups. By expanding the system to reliably connect usable food and supplies to those in need, we will strengthen a sustainable food safety net in Okinawa.