Camp Kinser helps local homeless get back on their feet

Kaori Tanahara

Inspired by the humanitarian spirit of one local non-profit organization, Camp Kinser has been giving a helping hand to Okinawa’s homeless for more than a year.

As a part of its community relations effort, Camp Kinser regularly donates food and clothes to the Promise Keepers, an Urasoe City-based non-profit organization which provides local homeless people food, shelter and rehabilitation programs, according to David Evans, deputy commander, Camp Kinser.

Once or twice each week, the NPO goes aboard Camp Kinser to collect donations from the commissary. Donations include bread, snack foods, candies, bottled water and soft drinks that either have limited shelf-life or are excess stock.

Individuals and families, especially those who are about to leave Okinawa, also donate non-perishable food and clothes.

Promise Keepers has been collecting food and clothing for local homeless individuals since 2000, according to Shoryo Yamauchi, a group spokesperson.

“Donations from Camp Kinser average about three tons a month and comprise about 70 percent of all the food we provide for the homeless,” he said. Other donations come from local businesses, churches, and individuals, according to Yamauchi.

Donated food and drinks are first provided to about 55 homeless persons who live temporarily at the organization’s shelter. The remaining items are taken to seven different public parks, including Naha’s Yogi Park, where NPO volunteers feed an average of 300 homeless people every weekend.

Camp Kinser’s first donation was in October 2006. That was one month after Yamauchi met Evans at an annual charity concert the Promise Keepers hosts at Yogi Park to support the homeless and raise awareness of their plight among Okinawans.

There, Yamauchi told Evans about the organization and its goals.

When Evans learned that the NPO was in constant need of donations, he sought to get the entire camp involved.

“Our camp has always tried to help our community and our neighbors,” said Evans. “I thought this was a good opportunity to help out the Okinawan community and build on our relationship
to make it even stronger.”

Evans first talked to Col. Paul Greenwood, the camp commander at the time, about the NPO. Greenwood agreed that the organization was one the base should support. After that, Evans appealed to the camp’s tenant agencies. “All have been very supportive of donating to the
organization,” he said.

Yamauchi said the number of the homeless on Okinawa increases each year. “We sometimes have difficulty getting new supporters,“ he said. “We really appreciate the camp leadership’s understanding and quick responses to our requests.”


“Many who participate in our program get back on their feet,” said Yamauchi. “One piece of bread can turn around a person’s life,” he added. The people we feed all know where their food comes from and that the Marine Corps on Okinawa is reaching out to them.”