Pal System's Charitable Rice Donation Initiative: Onigiri Lunch for a Cause

Pal System's Charitable Rice Donation Initiative

On May 1st, Pal System Consumers’ Cooperative Union, led by Chairman Haruki Shibusawa, hosted an engaging ‘Dashi and Onigiri Lunch’ event in Shinjuku, Tokyo. This initiative is part of their new program, ‘Onigiri Good,’ launched this fiscal year to encourage rice consumption while supporting local children’s cafeterias. The program involves collecting participant actions, with every 10,000 actions contributing to the donation of one ton of locally-sourced rice. This particular lunch event successfully added 32 actions to the program, mobilizing participation among employees.

The ‘Onigiri Good’ program counts the number of participants from users, producers, and staff, aiming for a one-ton donation of direct rice for every 10,000 actions recorded. The beneficiaries are primarily local children’s cafeterias located within the areas served by Pal System, spanning 12 prefectures. During the recent lunch, a call to action brought together 32 employees, accumulating 32 actions.

Educational Experiences on Food

In addition to fostering charitable contributions, the Pal System emphasizes food education through the themes of encountering diverse tastes, making cooking more inclusive, and understanding the story behind food. At the lunch event, participants engaged in hands-on experiences with katsuobushi (dried bonito) and sardine-based dashi preparations. They enjoyed tasting the various broths and relished their individually crafted onigiri and miso soup.

Lunch featured four varieties of rice: plain white rice, tuna mixed rice, egg and edamame rice, and potato chip rice, showcasing the diverse ways people can enjoy their meals. Many staff members experienced dashi shaving for the first time, which proved challenging at moments, but they thoroughly enjoyed the fresh taste directly from the shavings.

The onigiri-making action will continue to evolve, encouraging smiles while also contributing to charitable actions for donations. Pal System employees are committed to increasing their participation, turning common lunch gatherings into opportunities for benefitting local communities.

As the initiative grows, Pal System looks to maintain fun and educational experiences that promote not only rice consumption but also connect communities through thoughtful culinary action.

For more information on how to donate rice and support local children’s cafeterias, check the links below:

Pal System Consumers' Cooperative Union is based in Shinjuku, Tokyo at 2-2-6 Okubo, and is overseen by Chairman Haruki Shibusawa. As of March 2025, the cooperative has a total revenue of ¥260.42 billion and 1.76 million members.