By 9 a.m. on Thursday morning, March 24, several delivery trucks have deposited boxes of emergency supplies in front of the Taito Ward, Tokyo warehouse of Second Harvest Japan, a charity-based food bank.
Ever since the Tohoku-Kanto earthquake, which brought with it a terrifying 14-meter tsunami, ravaged northeastern Japan on March 11, Second Harvest's tiny office has been serving as a key point for disaster relief. These days, the place is a whirlwind of activity. Just as founder and executive director Charles McJilton steps through the door, a powerful aftershock rattles the building and sends everyone out onto the street. Once the tremor passes, the staff members file in and get back to work preparing to send another shipment of supplies to the Tohoku region.
In the days immediately following the earthquake, the Tokyo-based NGO was one of the first local aid groups to respond. They put out an urgent call for donations and set out to distribute food to survivors in Miyagi Prefecture. "We went up to Miyagi on Sunday and were on the ground from Monday (March 14)," McJilton says.