Food Ribbon
A “pay-it-forward" meal system where local restaurants become a safe place for children to eat, supported by the kindness of everyday customers.
Location: Japan (nationwide, community-based, restaurant by restaurant)
Mission:
Food Ribbon exists so that any child can access a meal at a local restaurant when they need it, without having to explain their situation or feel singled out.
Who we are
Food Ribbon (run by the Long Spoon Association / ロングスプーン協会) builds a simple local safety net.
Adults to restaurants, to children, connected through a small ribbon that represents one prepaid meal.
Our activities
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A prepaid meal system in restaurants (pay-it-forward)
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Customers at participating restaurants can buy ribbons in advance and display them in-store.
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Children can take a displayed ribbon and receive one meal.
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1 ribbon = 300 yen
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Growing a nationwide network
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Food Ribbon is working to expand the number of participating restaurants and partnerships with local governments.
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Low-burden participation for restaurants and municipalities
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A key strength is that restaurants can start with minimal additional burden
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and local governments can support awareness materials while the model becomes self-sustaining through community participation.
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The challenges we face
Food Ribbon’s impact depends on scale:
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expanding the number of participating restaurants so children can access meals close to home
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building awareness so community members actually purchase ribbons
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funding the operational work required to roll out to more areas (training, materials, support)
How You Can Help
Donate to help expand Food Ribbon (expand where children can eat)
Food Ribbon donations do not directly purchase meals.
Meals are supported locally by customers at participating restaurants.
Your donation supports the operations needed to expand Food Ribbon nationwide, increasing the number of participating restaurants and the number of places where children can eat with dignity.
Food Ribbon is currently working toward broader national rollout with an expansion goal of 1,000 locations.
Currently, this site only accepts financial donations.
If you’d like to support in other ways, please email us here at KiFor
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¥1,000 → Supports Food Ribbon program expansion
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¥3,000 → Supports Food Ribbon program expansion
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¥5,000 → Supports Food Ribbon program expansion
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¥10,000 → Supports Food Ribbon program expansion
All donations help Food Ribbon expand its program so more restaurants, children, and communities can take part. The larger the total amount raised, the greater the impact Food Ribbon can create.
Spread the word
Awareness matters. The model works when more local customers understand what a ribbon is and choose to buy one.
What corporates receive in return
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A clear, simple model employees can understand immediately (“one ribbon = one meal”)
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Local, visible community impact through restaurants and neighborhoods
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Optional reporting / story assets (where available)
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A meaningful CSR/ESG narrative anchored in child food security
Make a donation
Thank you for donating to Food Ribbon to support children’s access to meals and a safe place to eat.
Amount
Supports Food Ribbon program expansion
￥1,000
Supports Food Ribbon program expansion
￥3,000
Supports Food Ribbon program expansion
￥5,000
Supports Food Ribbon program expansion
￥10,000
Other
Partnership opportunities with KiFor (for companies)
KiFor can help companies support Food Ribbon in practical ways, designed to be low-burden for the organization, such as:
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sponsoring ribbon-meals as a simple, measurable campaign
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coordinating an employee donation drive (clear goal, clear reporting)
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connecting restaurant partners or local networks to help expansion
Contact us at KiFor to explore partnership opportunities!
Follow Food Ribbon's journey:
Website: https://longspoon.net/
For transparency, KiFor retains a 15% platform fee from all donations to sustain our operations, ensuring we can provide long-term support for our partner charities.
Important Notice About Tax Deductibility
Some charities listed on KiFor are not registered as Certified NPOs (特定非営利活動法人 - Tokutei Hieiri Katsudou Houjin) in Japan.
This means they cannot issue tax-deductible donation receipts for individual or corporate tax deductions.
Some organizations on this platform operate as General Incorporated Associations (一般社団法人 - Ippan Shadan Houjin) or other legal entities, which may have different tax treatment for donations.
If you require a tax-deductible receipt, please check the charity’s legal status before donating or contact us for clarification.
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