Public-Private Partnership Project Launched to Address Children's Food Crisis During Summer Vacation: "300,000 Meals" Initiative Combines Food Delivery, Dining Out, and Prepared Meals

NPO Kidsdoor (Location: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Yumiko Watanabe, hereinafter "Kidsdoor") and NPO Kids Future Passport (Location: Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture; Representative Director: Mariko Nakamoto, hereinafter "KFP") are launching a public-private partnership project aiming to provide "300,000 meals" to address the issue of children's food insecurity during summer vacation. In preparation for this, a press conference was held on Monday, July 6th, at the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare press conference room, in collaboration with supporting companies and organizations including the town of Sakai, Shimo-tsuga District, Tochigi Prefecture, Yoshinoya Co., Ltd., and the Japan Professional Footballers' Association.

From left to right at the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare press conference room on Monday, July 6th: Mirei Atsumi (Family Support Program Manager, NPO Kidsdoor), Yumiko Watanabe (Representative Director, NPO Kidsdoor), Ryosuke Imai (Director/Chairman, NPO Kids Future Passport), Masahiro Hashimoto (Mayor, Sakai Town, Shimo-tsuga District, Tochigi Prefecture), Eiji Okada (Senior Managing Executive Officer, Yoshinoya Co., Ltd.), Yosuke Goto (Senior Managing Director, Japan Professional Footballers' Association). Yoshinoya (dining-out company) and the Japan Professional Footballers' Association (general corporate organization), who have already supported Kodomo Gochimeshi, participated.

This project will build a new food support model that delivers both "food ingredients" and "dining-out experiences" to children by combining the food ingredient delivery support that Kidsdoor has provided through "Kidsdoor Family Support" with the dining-out and prepared meal support that KFP has offered through "Kodomo Gochimeshi." The project aims to provide a total of 300,000 meals starting from Wednesday, July 1, 2026, to Monday, August 31, 2026. Currently, approximately 20,000 meals have been secured through Kidsdoor and 110,000 meals through Kodomo Gochimeshi, and we are seeking support collaborations and local governments to secure the remaining 170,000 meals. Support for KFP can be provided starting from 100,000 yen.

▪️ Background: Summer Vacation "Food Gap" and Rising Prices

Summer vacation poses a significant challenge for children from low-income and financially struggling households in securing daily meals due to the absence of school lunches. Furthermore, the prolonged period of rising prices has increased the burden of food expenses on families, severely impacting children's nutritional status, physical and mental health, and the sense of security within households.

Additionally, a survey by Kidsdoor revealed that the frequency of dining out among supported households is extremely low, with only 1% using such services "once a week or more," and over half using them "less than once every six months."

Moreover, the disparity in experiences among children due to household economic conditions, a problem in recent years, extends to dining-out experiences, leading to psychological and social isolation and a loss of learning opportunities.

【Overview】New Model Combining Food Support with Dining Out and Prepared Meal Experiences

This project aims to achieve more effective food support by combining Kidsdoor's traditional food ingredient delivery support to households through "Kidsdoor Family Support" with KFP's dining-out and prepared meal support utilizing local restaurants through "Kodomo Gochimeshi." Through digital meal tickets funded by donations and local government support, children can dine at registered restaurants, which also contributes to the restaurants' sales.

Features

1 Support extends to "dining experiences" that are difficult to provide with food ingredient delivery alone

Kidsdoor's traditional food support has primarily focused on delivering rice, food products, and ingredients to households. However, there are challenges that cannot be fully addressed by food distribution alone, such as securing protein sources necessary for growing children, reducing the burden of cooking, providing opportunities for dining out at home, and fostering community connections.

This initiative aims not just for simple food distribution, but by combining food ingredient support delivered to homes with dining-out and prepared meal support utilizing local restaurants, it seeks to reduce nutritional imbalances, alleviate solitary eating, and create opportunities for family meals and community interaction.

Furthermore, it contributes to resolving the "experience gap" caused by a lack of dining-out experience, which leads to psychological isolation and loss of social opportunities. Particularly in single-parent households with long working hours, there are voices expressing difficulty in having conversations and interactions with their children. This dining-out support aims to create opportunities for family interaction.

2 A model that measures effectiveness, not just "support and finish"

In conjunction with summer vacation food support, this initiative plans for Kidsdoor and KFP to jointly design surveys and other methods to understand the voices of those receiving support. This is significant as an effort to empirically verify children's food support and develop it into a more effective policy and business model, rather than a one-off act of goodwill or a temporary campaign. Specifically, the following will be visualized to improve and expand the support model in the future:

・Changes in dietary habits

・Improvement in experiential value

・Reduction in household burden

3 An implementable model through public-private collaboration involving local governments, NPOs, and corporations

As exemplified by the town of Sakai, Shimo-tsuga District, Tochigi Prefecture, a local government that is actually engaged in support using "Kodomo Gochimeshi (including the platform)", and supporting companies and organizations such as Yoshinoya and the Japan Professional Footballers' Association, who participated in the press conference:

・NPOs (support network)

・Local governments (local implementation)

・Corporations and organizations (funding, store networks)

By collaborating, we will build a sustainable and scalable model. The aim is to connect children's food support not only to welfare measures but also to the revitalization of the local economy and community.

About "Kodomo Gochimeshi"

"Kodomo Gochimeshi" is a system that delivers meals to children in need by enabling local restaurants to function as "children's cafeterias." Since its launch, it has been promoting the "DX of children's cafeterias" utilizing IT and digital tickets, aiming for a sustainable form of support.

It builds a win-win-win model that benefits all three parties—local restaurants, children, and supporters—while solving the challenges of "labor shortages," "irregular operations," and "financial difficulties" that traditional volunteer-based children's cafeterias have faced.

KFP is committed to creating opportunities for children to gain rich experiences, not just food support. We aim to realize a society where all children can equally enjoy both meals and experiences.

https://kodomo-gochimeshi.org/

▪️ About NPO Kids Future Passport

This is an NPO established for child support activities. It operates "Kodomo Gochimeshi" with the aim of creating a sustainable system that watches over the healthy growth of all children. Using donations and support funds from corporations and individuals, it provides meals to children at registered local restaurants.

"Kodomo Gochimeshi" utilizes the GOCHI platform owned by Gigi Inc.

Location: Fukuoka Chiyo Godo Chosha 6F, Office 4, 1-20-31 Chiyo, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture

Date Established: June 2, 2023

Representative Director: Mariko Nakamoto

Business Activities: Local Children's Support Program "Kodomo Gochimeshi"

Homepage: https://kids-future-passport.org/

・Registered Children: 113,363 (Cumulative: 126,896)

・Meals Supported: 346,265 (As of the end of June 2026)

About "Kidsdoor Family Support"

Kidsdoor Family Support is a support platform based on a registered database to connect families facing economic difficulties with necessary support without them feeling isolated. Registered families receive material support such as food, school supplies, clothing, PCs, and Christmas presents free of charge, as well as continuous support in four areas: information support, experiential activity support, and employment support.

https://kidsdoor-family-support.jp/

Current Situation and Achievements of Families Requiring Support (FY2025)

Of the families registered in FY2025, approximately 92.3% are single-parent households, with many in non-regular employment such as part-time jobs, and about 60% have a household annual income of 2 million yen or less, indicating a severe living situation. Many households have little to no savings, and unexpected expenses and the burden of food costs during long vacations significantly impact their daily lives.

・Registered Households: 5,105 households (Average 3.1 people per household)

・Material Support: 35 times, a total of 10,975 households

About Certified NPO Kidsdoor https://kidsdoor.net/

Since its establishment in 2009, Kidsdoor has been working to solve the problem of child poverty in Japan. It operates place-based learning centers in Tokyo and its suburbs, Miyagi, and Kobe, providing free study sessions and living support, including meals, for elementary to high school students and young people who have dropped out of high school from low-income households. Since 2020, when families with children facing hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly increased, it has created the "Family Support" system to provide information support, food and stationery support, and employment support for parents to registered low-income families nationwide.

Director Yumiko Watanabe also serves as a temporary member of the Child Poverty Countermeasures and Single-Parent Household Support Subcommittee and a member of the Social Security Council, Self-Reliance Support for Persons Living in Poverty and Livelihood Protection Subcommittee of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.