TOKYO, March 13, 2014 - FedEx Express (FedEx), a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and one of the world’s largest express transportation companies, in partnership with non-profit organization JEN, held the “Let’s Go to Hama!” volunteer program on March 8 and 9 in Ishinomaki city’s Yagawahama and Sudachi-hama coastal areas in Miyagi prefecture. FedEx employee volunteers and volunteers from the general public numbering 11 took part.
FedEx and JEN have worked together since the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake to assist victims by providing relief supplies and transport. FedEx and JEN have also assisted in the recovery of the fishing industry through cleaning of fishing equipment and painting fishing boats. Now FedEx and JEN have launched the collaborative “Let’s Go to Hama!” program that facilitates exchange and assistance between FedEx employee volunteers and local residents.
During the program in Yagawa-hama, volunteers viewed a sea squirt and scallops cultivation area and took part in aqua farming. In Sudachi-hama, volunteers watched and helped collect wakame seaweed and oysters in the cultivation area. In the three years since the disaster, many volunteers have visited the Ishinomaki area, which is in the midst of recovery. This program teaches participants about the Oshika peninsula area through a hands-on fishing experience, meals and an evening exchange event with local residents.
“We are proud that FedEx has continued to provide support for the Tohoku region. Now that three years that have passed, the type of assistance needed is different. That’s why we have launched our new ‘Let’s Go to Hama!’ program,” said Masamichi Ujiie, regional vice president, North Pacific, FedEx Express. “I expect that volunteers will also come away with a valuable experience by working and spending time with the local residents.”
“I am very thankful for FedEx support of the Let’s Go to Hama! program which aims to revitalize the Tohoku region currently in the process of healing,” said JEN director Keiko Kiyama. “I hope through exchange between local residents and volunteers, this program greatly contributes to the recovery of the Tohoku region.”