"Kodomo Shokudo" Helping Kids in Noto Quake-Hit Areas

   Suzu, Ishikawa Pref., May 6 (Jiji Press)--"Kodomo shokudo" cafeterias that offer meals to needy children for free or at low prices continue operations in areas stricken by the Jan. 1 powerful earthquake in the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan.
   But some kodomo shokudo operators in the Okunoto region in the peninsula, which was hit particularly hard by the 7.6-magnitude quake, face difficulties offering their services due to damage from the disaster and are therefore in need of help from other parts of the prefecture and elsewhere in the country.
   In the Ishikawa city of Suzu in the peninsula, six entities from within and outside the prefecture jointly held a kodomo shokudo event on March 31, with menu items including children's favorites such as chocolate-coated bananas, cotton candy and a bowl of rice topped with ginger fried pork.
   On the day, children and others from about 50 families visited the cafeteria, enjoying warm dishes and sweets in a festive mood.
   Among them were Megumi Hase, 34, and her four children aged between 3 and 8 from the town of Noto, adjacent to Suzu.

(2024/05/06-10:00)

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