Supporting Facilities for the Disabled
Self-independence for the disabled and participation in society.
As a way to help disabled people to become more independent and to be able to participate in society, we work together on growing blueberries and creating original goods.
We sell or give away the goods created by residents in facilities for the disabled and thus it links to the greater scheme of our social contribution activities.
Blueberry Cultivation
In 2010, we began to work together with a facility for the disabled in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto, by entrusting blueberry cultivation to the residents.
We procure young blueberry plants and hand them over for the residents to look after. They are only 10 cm high at first, but after a year and a half of gentle nurture from the residents — under the guidance of a local farmer — the plants grow up to 30 cm.
After two or three years we buy the plants back. We sell them at our blueberry cultivation classes or use them at our blueberry tree-planting classes for children.
Creating Original Goods
In 2011, we began working together with Naduna Gakuen, a multifunction facility that supports self-independence, employment, and the production of goods and creative works.
We are aiding Naduna Gakuen in creating original goods for us like blueberry message cards. We use them as presents when selling blueberry plants, when writing letters to customers, and as presents for customers we meet face to face.
We also work together with the Kyoto Yamashina Vocational Center for the Disabled.
They support self-independence by offering work opportunities and necessary training for disabled people who desire to work but have difficulties getting employed.
They create lunch bags made of cloth for us, called azuma-bukuro, and narrow slips of paper that function as short letters, called ippitsu-sen.
We gave away the bags as presents at our Eye Bank Musical, and use the paper slips when writing letters to customers.