Recruiting volunteers July 1, 15-16, 21-22 (so far)

HANDS recruiting for volunteeeeeers (with excessive e)! 
July 1 (Sunday), July 15-16 (Sunday Monday), July 21-22 (Sat-Sun). 
Probably more dates to follow soon, or please contact if you are interested in dates not listed and maybe we can find a driver.
Kitakami station at 7 am split gas money blah blah contact me to register in English! 
Or contact HANDS at 35iwate@gmail.com if you wanna register in Japanese!


Update: Bad volunteer blog writer, part II--forgets to post updates
Update: July 15th has been changed to a trip to Minamisoma, Fukushima. Gathering time at Kitakami station is 5:30 am and expected to return at around 7 to 8 pm. Please sign up by July 10th if you are interested.

Recent volunteer jobs:

Recent volunteer jobs:

• Assisting with joint wedding ceremony for 6 couples in Kamaishi who had planned to get married in March 2011, but were forced to cancel because of the disaster. Set up, take down, handing out balloons, and general answering questions for guests.
• Cutting grass and removing tsunami mud and rubble (yes, we are still cleaning) from the tops of culverts. This was last weekend so still a bit sore.
• Digging ditches (drainage ditches and a ditch for installing a water pipe). This was the special Minamisoma, Fukushima trip. HANDS was split into two groups, and my group of four did the ditch digging. The others went to another worksite. The man who made the work request wanted to make his backyard into a camping area for volunteer workers. There were big tents from Shelter Box already set up (I guess Shelter Box donates its tents?) and he was in the process of setting up a toilet. 
• Making land suitable for being a garden or a field. Dig out the rocks and the rubble (yes, we are still cleaning). We've had a couple jobs like this in the past month or so.
• Picking up fine rubble, especially glass, to make a driveway more suitable for cars. The people making the request were concerned about tire punctures.

Taking volunteering June 16/17, 23/24

Volunteering in Kamaishi (or possibly Rikuzentakata) June 16 and 17, 23 and 24 (aka the weekends)! The usual crew (HANDS), the usual meeting spot (Kitakami station at 7 am), the usual split the gas money!
Contact me to sign up at thomasanna85@gmail.com

Volunteer Resources (for Professor Heuser's class)

Most of these resources are in Japanese. Edit: HOWEVER, you can click through to English versions on some of these sites, so do not lose hope, English speakers!!
They are almost all resources for tsunami relief.


Tasukeai Japan
You must look at Tasukeai Japan!
Go look at it right now!
You can look at each city or prefecture, see if the volunteer centers are still running, the plans to rebuild the city, and much more.

Also, information about volunteering, including the best volunteering search websites: Yahoo! Japan 復興支援
Skillstock (try searching for opportunities in Tokyo or opportunities in Saitama)

JCN
See JCN's website for even more general information.

Foreign Volunteers Japan
Foreign Volunteers Japan is a Facebook group for foreign volunteers that can answer your questions (in English). Check out the wall for recent news.

Tohoku-Involved NPOS Taking Volunteers in Tokyo
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ARK (animal shelter based in Kansai) needs help in Tokyo taking foster animals, including animals “ made homeless from the TOHOKU-PACIFIC earthquake and tsunami”

SALA (Save Animals Love Animals) also involved in animal rescue from Tohoku


Peace Boat (volunteering at Tokyo office)

Second Harvest Japan
sometimes asks for volunteers to make food packages for Tohoku.

Volunteering: List of Volunteer Centers
県外からのボランティアを受け入れているボランティアセンター

NPOS Taking Volunteers in Tohoku (only the ones I know)
It's Not Just Mud in Ishinomaki, Miyagi
Magokoro Net in Iwate
Save Iwate in Iwate
Peace Boat in Ishinomaki, Miyagi
Farm Arcadia in Fukushima (animal shelter)
Kawai Camp in Iwate
Habitat for Humanity Japan in Ishinomaki, Miyagi and Ofunato, Iwate
HANDS in Iwate (We go on weekends, and can help you register with volunteer center on weekdays. Go to link or contact me at thomasanna85@gmail.com for more details)

Other ResourcesTasukeai Japan's list of antenna shops and places to shop online
Remember: the businesses that especially need your help are not inland, they're on the coast. Please buy from the coast.