KITA-KYUSHU--A surprise package delivery to a church has led to an enduring community exchange fueled by the kindness of strangers.

It all started on the last Friday of April with the delivery of an unassuming cardboard box.

Aogu Tanimoto, the pastor of Minami-Kokura Baptist Church, opened the box to discover it was full of sweet rolls and stuffed buns. It was a gift from a shop owner in Miyazaki whom Tanimoto, 56, had known for a long time. But he had a hard time mustering much enthusiasm about the unexpected gift.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak had reached Kita-Kyushu, where the church is located, he has told his followers not to come to the church, except for attending services--meaning no one would be there to eat the buns. To make matters worse, most of the buns would soon be past their expiration date.

So he placed a folding table at the entrance of the church and put buns on it with a sign that said, “Please feel free to take home.”

At noon on Sunday, his friend brought him freshly dug, mud-covered bamboo shoots. Tanimoto placed a few of them on the table as well, still in the same spot.

That evening, he found something unexpected.

“What is this?” Tanimoto exclaimed.

He saw recently harvested spring onions set on the table next to the two remaining bamboo shoots. And there was a cardboard box left on the floor, full of fresh spring onions. Someone added the words “and onions” to a sign advertising that the bamboo shoots are now on offer.

Tanimoto felt surprised and delighted by the unknown person sharing their food with others, so he posted a story about it with a photo on his Facebook account.

Many commented on his post, saying it is just like "Dozo no Isu" (The Giving Chair), a famous children’s picture book. He borrowed the book from one of his followers and flipped through the pages.

The book is about a chair where one animal’s kindness leads to another’s, leading to a chain of generous acts. First, a donkey places acorns on the chair and takes a nap beside it. A bear drops by and eats all the acorns, but leaves honey for someone who comes after him.

Back in April, people quickly bought up face masks and toilet paper was in short supply. Yet even amid the panic buying, in the middle of a pandemic, people were still placing and taking small items on and off the table.

Unable to physically interact with each other, Tanimoto believes people found meaning in the exchange because it helped them connect with others in their community through the items.

He proposed his followers to name the table “Dozo no Tsukue" (The Giving Table) after the book and continue offering it as a church activity. He set out instant noodles, canned foods and other items he had at hand onto the table.

“Please bring one or two items that may help or delight someone, and if anyone finds something you want or need, please feel free to take them home,” he said, urging others to join in the activity.

People continued bringing in many long-lasting food items. After glutinous rice flour went out of stock from the table, pancake mixes, which were also in short supply at that time, appeared. Tanimoto laughed out loud one day when a can of tuna he saw in the morning was replaced by a can of mackerel in the evening in the exact same spot.

He was surprised how considerate people were with their choices for offerings, since all the items on the table were within their best-before dates.

Daily necessities, such as handmade face masks and detergents, were also added to the items on offer.

Some items were even sent by people living outside Fukuoka Prefecture after they saw the pastors’ daily photos of the table posted on social media.

One person placed on the table origami Amabies, a mythical half-human, half-fish supernatural "yokai" creature believed to ward off epidemics. They were taken a few days later.

Every day, Tanimoto opens the door of the church shortly after 9 a.m. and closes around 8 p.m. Just before closing time, when it is completely dark outside, bags of 1 go (180 cc) of polished rice vanish quietly, one by one.

A lone stuffed bear named “Yokki” who wears a face mask looks after the "shop" because Tanimoto thinks “people may hesitate to take items when someone is watching.”

Tanimoto cannot help but be curious about what is on the table, so he takes a picture using his smartphone twice a day to see how it changes.

“Some put items on the table to give them away for free, while others receive them with a sense of thankfulness,” he said. “I’m so glad to see such a humane exchange of spontaneous small kindness and gratitude.”

Watching his community give so selflessly every day, he might have received the best gift of all.