Photo/Illutration Supporters bring vegetables and other items to the office of Esperanca in Tsu on March 8. (Eriko Kai)

TSU--While fear of the global coronavirus pandemic provoked people in Japan and around the world to stock up on masks, toilet paper and other essentials, some residents in Mie Prefecture instead opened their pantries to the less fortunate.

In early March, locals donated their instant noodles, diapers and other items to help about 10 non-Japanese households down on their luck.

Esperanca, a citizens group that provides support to impoverished foreign residents living in the city and surrounding areas, put out a call on social media at the end of February over concerns that some people are increasingly finding themselves in a financial bind because of the epidemic.

Yukie Aoki, 64, who heads the group, said her organization is worried that “more foreign families will likely need support” from April.

Some in the area are already feeling their belts tighten. Foreign workers in the manufacturing sector told Esperanca that their hours have been cut back to two to three days a week, while others said they would be out of work for two months from April.

Others have been earning less than usual because they took days off to look after their children, according to Esperanca. Many schools remained closed in March in line with a request from the central government to curb the spread of the virus.

All of this is making Aoki increasingly worried.

“Foreign workers will be most affected by economic downturns, so I’m worried about the impact of the new coronavirus on them,” she said.

Esperanca was founded about a decade ago by Aoki and other teachers to distribute food and daily necessities to struggling foreign nationals after the 2008 collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers. Foreign workers were losing their jobs one after another, with many raising concerns they were no longer able to afford milk and other basic food items. 

A survey by Aoki and others on foreign families living in the area at the time showed that about 20 percent of them earned the same amount or less than the standards for welfare benefits.

Esperanca said it was able to provide support for 740 or so households in fiscal 2019 ending in March.

“It’s unclear how long and to what extent the coronavirus will affect our lives,” Aoki said, adding her organization plans to step up its outreach.