USMEF, Washington’s Beef Producers Team Up in Japan Relief
Published: Jun 01, 2011
More than 6,000 displaced Japanese citizens who were left homeless by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in that nation have been helped through the generous contribution of Washington’s beef producers to the Japan Relief & Recovery program conducted by USMEF.
The Washington Cattlemen’s Association auctioned off a heifer raising $18,000 in funds in donations for Japan. That money was matched by $18,000 in contributions from USMEF’s food industry partners in Japan, enabling USMEF to provide both cooked and fresh U.S. beef to 6,175 people in the region hardest hit by the natural disaster.
“Ranchers know better than anyone how to be neighborly. We always help each other out on our ranches when there is a need. We consider Japan our neighbor, so when the disaster hit their country, we wanted to find a way to help,” said Centerville rancher Jim Sizemore. Sizemore, a past president of the Washington Cattlemen’s Association, and his family donated the 700 pound heifer to the WCA for the fundraising auction.
USMEF teamed with Prime Link, the operator of Japan’s largest yakiniku restaurant chain, Gyukaku, to provide 1,000 meals of U.S. barbecue beef bowl in Onagawa and Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture last month.
“I really appreciated the donation coordinated by the Washington Cattlemen’s Association and the USMEF Japan Relief project, and I am happy to see the smiles of the people as they enjoy U.S. beef,” said Mr. Otsuki, president of Gyukaku (Prime Link), who participated in the meal distribution.
The donation from Washington State also supported the distribution of about 600 meals of steak and stir fry through a joint effort with the nonprofit organization Bond & Justice in Kesennuma and Shichigahama in the Miyagi Prefecture in May.
A major beef bowl restaurant chain with nearly 1,000 outlets in Japan, Yoshinoya teamed with USMEF to distribute 1,000 dishes of “gyudon” beef bowls in the city of Tome in the Miyagi Prefecture. Yoshinoya is the largest purchaser of U.S. beef in Japan and historically has been a major supporter of U.S. beef.
During the month of June, the final joint project involves the distribution of 1,500 packs of processed U.S. peppered beef, which will provide 3,000 servings. USMEF-Japan is working with Takizawa Ham, a mid-sized ham and sausage manufacturer and regular purchaser of U.S. beef. The pre-packaged beef is being distributed in the Tohoku region to families displaced by the earthquake and tsunami.
“The feedback we received throughout the region is overwhelming,” said Susumu (Sam) Harada, USMEF-Japan senior director of trade projects and technical services. “Knowing that these nourishing meals came from their friends in the State of Washington was reassuring and very much appreciated by the people in the Tohoku region.”
“Ranchers know better than anyone how to be neighborly. We always help each other out on our ranches when there is a need. We consider Japan our neighbor, so when the disaster hit their country, we wanted to find a way to help,” said Centerville rancher Jim Sizemore. Sizemore, a past president of the Washington Cattlemen’s Association, and his family donated the 700 pound heifer to the WCA for the fundraising auction.
USMEF teamed with Prime Link, the operator of Japan’s largest yakiniku restaurant chain, Gyukaku, to provide 1,000 meals of U.S. barbecue beef bowl in Onagawa and Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture last month.
“I really appreciated the donation coordinated by the Washington Cattlemen’s Association and the USMEF Japan Relief project, and I am happy to see the smiles of the people as they enjoy U.S. beef,” said Mr. Otsuki, president of Gyukaku (Prime Link), who participated in the meal distribution.
The donation from Washington State also supported the distribution of about 600 meals of steak and stir fry through a joint effort with the nonprofit organization Bond & Justice in Kesennuma and Shichigahama in the Miyagi Prefecture in May.
A major beef bowl restaurant chain with nearly 1,000 outlets in Japan, Yoshinoya teamed with USMEF to distribute 1,000 dishes of “gyudon” beef bowls in the city of Tome in the Miyagi Prefecture. Yoshinoya is the largest purchaser of U.S. beef in Japan and historically has been a major supporter of U.S. beef.
During the month of June, the final joint project involves the distribution of 1,500 packs of processed U.S. peppered beef, which will provide 3,000 servings. USMEF-Japan is working with Takizawa Ham, a mid-sized ham and sausage manufacturer and regular purchaser of U.S. beef. The pre-packaged beef is being distributed in the Tohoku region to families displaced by the earthquake and tsunami.
“The feedback we received throughout the region is overwhelming,” said Susumu (Sam) Harada, USMEF-Japan senior director of trade projects and technical services. “Knowing that these nourishing meals came from their friends in the State of Washington was reassuring and very much appreciated by the people in the Tohoku region.”