Abstract

The purposes of this study were to: (a) investigate the characteristics of recipients' of the non-government foodbank program, (b) examine the health and dietary related conditions of them, and (c) evaluate the benefits and effectiveness of the foodbank program from the recipients' perspective. A total of 21 groups (n = 755) and 75 individual recipients participated in the survey. The main results of the study were as follows; (a) Generally, the individual recipients were 74-year-old female, livelihood protectee, and those who received government assistance or funds from private donators as their source of livelihood. (b) The ages of group recipients varied widely, and they also received government assistance or funds from private donators as their source of livelihood. (c) Most of the donated foods were bakery and confectionery items, rice, and milk and other dairy products. (d) Benefits such as the decrease in the recipients' food expenses and an enhancement of their nutritional statuses were identified.

• Keywords: foodbank; recipient; benefit