“Children’s Cafeterias,” are places where meals are served mainly by volunteers from the local community, and began in earnest around 2015, exceeding 6,000 locations by the end of 2021. Children’s Cafeterias are communities that provide free or low-price meals to children and their parents who are unable to eat adequately, due to financial difficulties or other circumstances. Currently, economic disparity is widening in Japan, with one in seven children living in poverty. The nationwide expansion of Children’s Cafeterias is said to be due in part to social issues imparted by an increase of low-income and single-parent households. In the beginning, some families were hesitant to use the service because they did not want their poverty and family situation to be exposed to the public. In spite of that, families making use of the service have continued to increase, now becoming a place where parents of poor families, who tend to be disconnected from society, may communicate with one another. Management organizations are challenged to make ends meet with operating costs, when considering cafeteria space, volunteer staff, and procuring foodstuffs. It is a difficult situation to sustain. Taken as a matter of course, such projects should be carried out by the government. Although some local governments have taken on their own initiatives, their participation has not been adequate. In the past, there was a culture in Japan where neighbors helped each other on a daily basis. The Children’s Cafeteria reminds us of the poor days when there was no government support.