Used Books for Disaster Relief
Nissan is always looking for ways to support employee participation in community service efforts. One such activity is Sutenai Books, a used book fair that collects surplus books from employees and sells them secondhand. The proceeds are donated to Shapla Neer, the Citizens' Committee in Japan for Overseas Support, a partner NGO in the project.
The main purpose of Shapla Neer's activities is to support quality-of-life improvements in developing countries. After the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, though, the group also began relief work in Ibaraki Prefecture. It has continued to work in the affected areas since then, based chiefly in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture.
Many employees responded to a companywide appeal by donating books, magazines, DVDs and CDs. A used book bazaar held at Nissan's Global Headquarters in Yokohama was a resounding success. Works published for the Nissan Children's Storybook and Picture Book Grand Prix were also on sale. Any books left over were sold to Bookoff, a used book retailer. The total proceeds came to ¥51,652, all of which was donated to Shapla Neer.
(July 2011)