Pokémon is Helping Make “Children’s Cafeterias” More Fun and Enjoyable

1. Raising Public Familiarity with Children’s Cafeterias

“Eating with others makes everything taste better!”

This is a sentiment frequently shared by the organizers of “children’s cafeterias,” facilities that provide warm meals to local youth. Pokémon embraced this vision in 2021 and has supported these efforts ever since.

The Pokémon with You Foundation is at the forefront of these support efforts by The Pokémon Company. Established in 2021, the Foundation’s roots trace back to a group of employees of The Pokémon Company who volunteered their assistance after the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami disaster of 2011.

As the 10th anniversary of the earthquake approached, we looked for ways to expand our social contributions. We soon turned our attention to children’s cafeterias. To determine how Pokémon could best contribute, our team began by interviewing various management organizations and making on-site visits.

One staff member reflected on those early stages, saying, “Many people view children’s cafeterias strictly as places that provide meals to children facing poverty. However, when we visited these places for ourselves, we realized that they serve as a vital ‘third place.’ We saw children talking together, playing together, and even working on homework together.”

We wanted to make the environment in the cafeterias even more enjoyable and add a touch of color for the children who regularly visit them. We also wanted to help dispel any lingering misconceptions that might make people hesitate to visit. With these two goals in mind, we launched the “Pokémon Children’s Cafeteria Support Team!”

2. Bringing Smiles to Children and Supporters

In terms of material support, the Support Team considers the various issues faced by children’s cafeterias and plans, prepares, and provides items appropriate to the specific cafeterias across the country. We place a particular emphasis on creating items for seasonal events.

A staff member shared, “Some children who come to the cafeterias have no opportunity to experience the warmth and enjoyment of Christmas at home. The cafeteria organizers told us that they desperately wanted these children to feel the joy of the holiday season.” 

In response, we provided craft paper decorated with Pokémon to the children so they could make their own Christmas trees. We hoped that by building the crafts together after dinner or taking them home to share with their families, the children could create lasting holiday memories.

Furthermore, we provide items to the staff to help build close relationships between the children and the volunteers, whose participation makes the operation of the cafeterias possible.

One such item is a bright Pikachu-yellow apron decorated with Pokémon illustrations. We were thrilled to receive feedback from staff members who told us that wearing the aprons boosts their motivation.

We also support children’s cafeterias through visits by Pikachu. During these visits, we organize workshops where children can interact with Pikachu and participate in various activities like making reusable tote bags.

“We hope visits by Pikachu will generate interest in children’s cafeterias and show that these cafeterias are inclusive and open to everyone,” a representative shared. We have already seen this succeed; quite a few parents and children who initially visited just to see Pikachu have since become regular cafeteria visitors.

3. Expanding the Circle of Support

Pokémon has been conducting activities in support of children’s cafeterias for five years now.

Speaking about the progress, one staff member shared, “We’ve received an increasing number of inquiries from other companies asking how they can get involved. Our work has helped others realize that there are many ways to contribute beyond donating goods. We hope to see many more forms of support in the future.”

Through these initiatives, we hope to expand the circle of support and bring smiles to even more faces.