Kyoto International School

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Kyoto International School

Posted on May 2, 2013
Filed Under culture exchange, Kansai Food Bank, volunteer | Leave a Comment

I had a wonderful time this morning with small people.  These small people were from the Kyoto International School and Pamela, one of our interns, and I went to talk to them because they wanted to find out just what Kozmoz did and why.

I love small people and let me tell you why. Small people have only begun the socialization process. The process that robs many of us of creativity, the sense of wonder about the world around us, and that wonderful notion that dreams can come true. It seems that societies need for obedient workers that won't make too many waves replaces all that wonder with the seeming need for the latest fashions, cars, houses, consumer gadgets…. 

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Is there room for a New God?

Posted on October 25, 2012
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kozmoz says stop playing god with our foodPlaying God with our Food

We talk alot about Food Security here. That is the ability for everyone to procure the base required amount of calories and nutrients daily. But there is another looming threat to Food Security that has become increasingly widespread. It is called the Gene Revolution in which scientists are modifying the genetic structure of plants and animals with the goal of producing new strains that resist disease, agrochemicals, and pests or even thrive in areas watered with sea water. It sounds wonderful, but is it playing out that way?

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Sometimes things just go whack…

Posted on October 2, 2012
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Imagine you are a working mom of 5, trying to make ends meet, raise the kids be a good wife, expecting everything to go just like it does on the TV shows and suddenly… one night your husband does not come home. Nor does he come home the next night, or the night after…

And with him goes his monthly paycheck… This happens all too often, and it happened to Mrs. N,  one of the working moms that the Kozmoz Kansai food bank supports. For months, she received no word from her estranged husband, no monetary support, no help getting their 5 kids up, dresssed, make bentos, meet with their teacher, cook dinner, wash the clothes, clean the house, wash the dishes…. all while the phone rings with people wondering why you did not pay your bills last month and you try to earn enough money to maintain a minimum standard of living and not make the kids suffer during an emotionally disturbing time…

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Too busy to volunteer?

Posted on September 6, 2012
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Kozmoz Kansai Food Bank Kobe Japan rep Alan Gibson, aka the banana godMeet Alan Gibson( on the left), our man on the ground in Kobe Japan. Alan coordinates weekly pickups of fresh fruit at the Port of Hyogo for the Kozmoz Kansai Food Bank. 

Raising kids and working can really take up your day, but Alan takes busy to a new level, heading up the new Japanese soccer magazine JSoccer, is a staff writer for the Gamba Osaka professional soccer team, and can be found DJ'ing evenings around the Kobe area. In spite of having such a demanding personal and business schedule, he was moved to make time for the needs of the less fortunate in his community upon finding out about the needs and the opportunity for him to make a difference.

There are many reasons for poverty in our communites,

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Real People, Real Needs

Posted on August 22, 2012
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hundreds line up in Kyoto Japan to receive food donations from KozmozEach week, hundreds line up rain or shine at this public housing complex in South Kyoto to receive food donations from Kozmoz International.

The people are real, the needs are real, and the needs wont go away until there are some fundamental changes made in our society. These people are not homeless, they are hard working mothers, fathers and elderly trying to stretch their bugets to make it through to the next month. An everly large number are elderly, their fixed budgets decimated by inflation.

As real as this need is, the needs around us go completely unnoticed by so many of us…

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Meet Verdiana!

Posted on July 15, 2012
Filed Under Kansai Food Bank, volunteer | Leave a Comment

Super Kansai Food Bank volunteer Verdiana Meet Verdiana, one of our super volunteers at the Kyoto Kozmoz Activity Center. After graduating from the University in Florence Italy, she came to study Japanese in Kyoto where she found out about Kozmoz Kansai Food Bank.

Since her name is a little difficult for some Japanese people to pronounce, we call her Midori. Midori may go down in history as one of the hardest working volunteers in Kozmoz history. She helps teach adult and kids classes and is universally a hit. But she is just as at home sorting food stocks and passing out donations to individuals and families here in Kansai that are falling thru the cracks.

In fact she is just so excited about what Kozmoz is doing here in Japan that she has been working making a facebook page and facebook group page to keep people informed about ways that they can help make tomorrow a better place for our children. If you have time, stop by the Kozmoz Facebook page and shout out to Verdiana and thank her for all her hard work!

A time to reflect

Posted on June 20, 2012
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June 11th to 24th at Ryukoku University in South Kyoto there will be a gallery display of photographs taken after the Great Eastern Japanese Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami of March 11th 2011.

This is a good chance to remember and reflect upon the enourmity of the disaster, the staggering loss of life and property, and both the fraility and strength of the human experience.

After taking tons upon tons of relief supplies to stranded homeless survivors, the images of the initial days of the afternath

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Good News!

Posted on June 12, 2012
Filed Under Kansai Food Bank, volunteer | Leave a Comment

 

New Kozmoz Kansai Food Bank Distribution Center between Kyoto and Osaka

Sorry for the the long silence….  what a year it has been!

Now a  little good news 😉   Pictured is the new Kozmzo Kansai Distribution Center!

I know I often whine here about societal needs and the gross level of public apathy that has gotten us where we are but…

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Meet Derek

Posted on March 15, 2012
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Super kozmoz kyoto volunteer teacher Derek MacatantanMeet Derek Macatantan, one of the many people that enable Kozmoz to offer social services to thousands of disadvantaged individuals and families in the Kansai region.

Derek has been volunteering weekly at our activity center in Fushimi Ward in South Kyoto for over a year now. Derek does many things including teaching english to children, helping sort food stocks and distributing food donations to less fortunate families at public housing.

Coming from San Diego to work thru the J.E.T program teaching English in Junior high schools in Kyoto, Derek was looking for a way to be a constructive part of his new community and has been helping to support the Kozmoz Kansai Food bank since coming to Kyoto.

Thank you Derek!

Thanks

Posted on January 31, 2012
Filed Under Kansai Food Bank, relief & aid, volunteer | Leave a Comment

thank you letter for food received at the Kozmoz Kansai Food BankThe other morning I found this note in the Kozmoz mailbox along with a 200 yen donation. 

For those that dont read Japanese the note says… 

"I receive public assistance. My rent sucks up most of my welfare allowance and the only way I could ever eat a pastry is to take something out of my regular food budget. The other day I received some free pastries (at the Kozmoz Kansai Food Bank Pantry ) and enjoyed some for the first time in ages. 

I really appreciate it, and am very grateful.

I am sorry this (donation) is so little but please receive it.

Thank you so much…"

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