Since late February, as Covid-19 began to spread rapidly in Japan, the country declared a state of emergency for the nation in order to curb the spread of the deadly virus and all schools are ordered to close temporarily. With the ongoing state of emergency, many of those schools are yet to reopen, and have switched to online lessons instead.
Probably to some of the students, not going to school doesn’t really affected their life. However, it make a difference for kids in low-income families because they can no longer get free lunch from school cafeteria which subsidised by the government.
But if you live nearby Tokyo’s Kichijoji neighbourhood, a restaurant named Chonando is offering Kids’ bento to those who couldn’t afford a meal. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not free…it come with terms ..
吉祥寺の長男堂の貼り紙。
なかなかできる事じゃないよなぁ😭🌈
こういう事態なんだよ。 pic.twitter.com/yxe7fiSM9F— haruna (@haru_chat) April 29, 2020
Japanese Twitter user @haru_chat snapped a picture of the notice posted outside Chonando explaining the unique payment terms. The notice reads:
“Until schools open up again, on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., we will be offering Kids’ Bento for 250 yen (RM10).
For you kids who don’t have enough money, you can pay at a later time. If you need to, you can come back and pay after you’re all grown up.
And if by the time you’re all grown up, Chonando isn’t around anymore, then please use the money to help someone else or donate it to someone who needs it.”
Their act of kindness caught netizens’ attention, most of them are touched by the restaurant’s owner intention.
“Well that brought the tears.”
“I think the kids will always remember the bento. That kindness will teach them to be kind to others too.”
“Thank you for doing this. When my wife was a child, her school lunch was the only meal she got.”
“When I was a kid, a local bakery did something like this for me. When I grew up and got a job, after I got my first paycheck I went to pay them back.”
“Reading about how other people had someone help them like this, it shows how many of us are supported by the kindness of others.”
Never underestimate the power of a kind words, kind act or even a bento .. all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
Source : Soranews