This story was originally published Feb. 20, 2021 by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
TOKYO, Feb 17 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - When Ayumi lost her part-time job at a restaurant last summer, she ended up relying on rice and pre-packaged fare delivered once a month by a food bank to her college campus in Tokyo. I cut my meals to once a day, in mid-afternoon, the 22-year-old said. Many friends were in the same boat they worked at eateries that were hit because of the coronavirus.
As job losses surge due to the pandemic, demand for food handouts has skyrocketed in Japan, prompting the government to release stockpiled rice to charities for the first time last May. Another expanded program started this month.
Pandemic Highlights Japan s Poverty and Food Insecurity kcet.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kcet.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Feb 28, 2021
When Ayumi lost her part-time job at a restaurant last summer, she ended up relying on rice and prepackaged fare delivered once a month by a food bank to her college campus in Tokyo.
“I cut my meals to once a day, in mid-afternoon,” the 22-year-old said. “Many friends were in the same boat they worked at eateries that were hit because of the coronavirus.”
As job losses surge due to the pandemic, demand for food handouts has skyrocketed in Japan, prompting the government to release stockpiled rice to charities for the first time last May. Another expanded program started this month.
Pandemic puts pressure on Japan to open up rice stockpile to charities arabnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from arabnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
When Ayumi lost her part-time job at a restaurant last summer, she ended up relying on rice and pre-packaged fare delivered once a month by a food bank to her college campus in Tokyo. "I cut my meals to once a day, in mid-afternoon," the 22-year-old said. "Many friends were…