Middle school students support 'today's meal for children': Toyo Junior High School conducts fundraising and awareness campaign for the Food Ribbon Project

Izumiotsu City, Osaka Prefecture (Mayor: Kenichi Minamide), concluded Japan's first 'comprehensive partnership agreement regarding the Food Ribbon Project' with the Long Spoon Association in June 2024, promoting a system to support children's food within the community.

Recently, students at Toyo Junior High School in Izumiotsu City independently carried out fundraising and awareness activities for the project during their school festival, 'Toyo Sai,' held on Saturday, May 23, 2026. The funds raised were personally delivered by the students to project-participating stores within the city to be used for children's meal costs.

Activities at 'Toyo Sai'

At the 'Toyo Sai' venue, which featured various food stalls, game stalls like super ball scooping, and stage dance events, students set up a booth for the Food Ribbon Project and conducted the following activities:

- Awareness and Publicity: Explained the mechanism of the Food Ribbon Project (a system where one 300-yen ribbon allows a child to eat one meal) to visitors through flyers and verbal explanations.

- Fundraising: Collected donations from project supporters. The total amount raised (23,400 yen for 78 meals) was donated by the students themselves to six participating Food Ribbon stores in the city.

Additionally, next to the Food Ribbon Project booth, a 'Food Pantry,' also aimed at supporting children's food, was set up by organizations operating children's cafeterias and other spaces for children.

About the Food Ribbon Project

Customers at participating restaurants purchase a 300-yen ribbon in advance as a meal for a child and display it on a board in the store. Children in need can receive a free meal (today's meal) by handing that ribbon to the staff.

Izumiotsu City was the first municipality in Japan to conclude a comprehensive partnership agreement with the Long Spoon Association, the organization operating the project, and is currently working to expand participating stores and improve recognition in cooperation with local restaurants and community organizations.