Thursday, March 24, 2011

Bento4Japan Ravioli Bento

Today I made bento for both kids, but I'm only showing one (hers looked basically the same minus the painstaking lettering). They got cool striped ravioli filled with mushroom, spinach and ricotta; mandarin, strawberry, yogurt with black- and raspberries, and some broccoli. At first I was going to decorate the ravioli like a shipping box, since I took my two #Bento4Japan auction items in to the post office today to be shipped to my generous buyers/donors. I even went so far as to cut a stamp and address label out of cheese (and even wrote some words on them) -- but then I remembered my tiny pasta letters and thought that would be cuter. When I opened the bag I saw there were numbers in there too, so that's when I decided to make a tribute to the grass-roots fundraising effort that began as an idea between a few bentomaking buddies about a week ago and has since expanded to include participants all over the world. It took me a lot longer to find all the letters I needed than I thought it would, and I never found a "J" at all so I used a "U" and altered it. It also took me forever to find a "4" because I didn't even realize that was a "4" until I had passed it over about 20 times! Sheesh. Since the ravioli is green I didn't dye the letters. I also added twin watermelon radish hearts for contrast.
We're really pleased with the success of #Bento4Japan, which has so far raised $2000 in the 9 days it's been operating. I attribute its effectiveness to the power of social media, driving people to learn about the situation in Japan and realize the dire nature of the living conditions in the hardest hit areas. It can be hard to separate the facts from the hype, and much of the information I've been getting has been from Maki of JustBento, who has dedicated the past week and a half to culling the news from Japan and numerous other sources via her twitter account @makiwi. Along the way she's encountered a great deal of hysteria and misinformation, so she's posted a message on her site detailing what she feels is important for caring members of the world community right now: in short, to interpret the news thoughtfully and respond rationally. Yep, always a good idea.

Anyway, #Bento4Japan is still going strong. These auctions are all by donation, and 100% of sales goes to disaster relief. We've had several corporate donors join us, which makes for exciting new merchandise. For example, this LunchBots Uno I used today. You may have noticed I use it quite frequently; at least once a week. There's a reason for that-- it's a fantastic box! All stainless steel, sturdy and practical. And, it's up for auction right now. Want to skip over there and take a look? Go ahead. I don't mind. ^_^

14 comments:

  1. Sooo cute, and a fantastic way to get the word out! Hooray for Bento4Japan!

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  2. very cool ravioli, also pasta letters...:b

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  3. This is awesome! I love the color of the ravioli and the idea behind this bento. Bento4Japan is working so well, only 9 days? Couldn't believe it. Go Bento4Japan!! (^.^)

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  4. Very striking bento. Yay for Bento4Japan!

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  5. way to go, Bento4Japan!

    how thoughtful to search for the tiny pasta letters to make the words!

    keep it up Sheri! :)
    and thanks to all the generous kind hearted bento mums who support the Charity!

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  6. Beautiful bento Sheri! You all are doing such a wonderful job with the Bento4Japan!

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  7. Bento4Japan Rocks! I love your tribute!!

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  8. Yay Bento4Japan and for this vibrant bento-with-a-message. Love your watermelon radish hearts in any bento they appear--instant smile!

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  9. Haha, Sheri you're hilarious! This is another gorgeous bento..with some monster raviolis in there! I can't believe that much money has been raised so far this past 9 days. Amazing!! You guys oh wait, gals, have been doing an incredible job on the auction and raffles!! Go Bento4Japan!

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  10. =)))))))
    (do I need to write anything else?)
    ok, I will write: great tribute to Bento4Japan! And.. omg Sheri... you really have patience to deal with the little macaronis. :P
    Well ... I am without words to describe how happy i am with the fundraising. (ahahah, i think my mind is as well empty ^_^)

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  11. Lia, Debra, Bobo, Susan, Heather, Jenn, Chantale, and Lily,
    Thank you all so much. It's been a group collaborative effort and we all couldn't be more excited and pleased!

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  12. that lettering is so cool! loving the bright colors here, the pink-against-green is especially chic. and another great uno advertisement... drool... well done!

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  13. Yeah! All advertisement is good.
    Thanks for stopping by with your sweet comments megan :)

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