From an everyday plate to a wider impact: bills’ Pride Month support. We attended the activity report session with donation recipient ReBit

Hello, everyone! This is Suzuki from SUNNY SIDE UP, the PR team for bills.

A sudden question, but how would you feel if your everyday dining choices could help support someone’s future?

All-day dining “bills,” originating in Sydney, Australia. Since opening, it has valued being a comfortable place where anyone can drop in casually, regardless of age, gender, nationality, or lifestyle.

How can we create a positive impact on society through dining experiences at a restaurant? This time, we are pleased to share a recap of the Pride Month donation project at bills Omotesando, along with highlights from the report session looking back on its results!

Aiming to create a space where everyone feels comfortable: The Pride Month project at bills Omotesando

In line with Pride Month in June 2026 (an international month that honors LGBTQ+ diversity and rights), bills carried out a donation project that gave shape to the belief it has cherished since opening: “We want to be a place where everyone can feel comfortable.”

©Koji Hanabuchi

From June 1 to June 30, customers who ordered the “Avocado Toast – Fresh Coriander and Lime” at bills Omotesando contributed to this initiative, with 100% of the sales supporting the activities of certified NPO ReBit.

A total of 707 servings of avocado toast were served in one month, and the donations collected amounted to ¥1,221,182. But what kind of people—and what kind of future—will these ¥1.22 million actually help shape?

This time, we had the opportunity to hear directly about ReBit’s work from its representative, Miyoshi Yakushi.

©Mikkel Vang

“There may be a child somewhere struggling the same way I did.”

At the beginning of the report session, Ms. Yakushi of ReBit spoke about her own experiences.

She shared how, from a young age, she felt discomfort about her gender but could not consult anyone—and how, at 17 in her second year of high school, she experienced a suicide attempt. She wondered whether there might still be children at school today who struggle with feeling “different,” yet cannot confide those feelings to anyone. It was from that conviction that she founded ReBit at the age of 20.

The work that began to deliver the message, “It’s okay to be you,” marks its 17th year this year.

How were the donations used? ReBit’s concrete initiatives reaching LGBTQ+ youth

Some studies estimate that LGBTQ+ people make up about 3–10% of the population—roughly the same proportion as left-handed people. However, many become isolated due to a lack of understanding around them and a shortage of places to seek advice. In particular, there is the harsh reality that 87% of LGBTQ+ children and young people have experienced difficulties in their relationship with their guardians.

To date, ReBit has delivered classes and training more than 1,700 times to over 230,000 children and teachers. At the same time, many schools do not have sufficient budgets, and donations are essential to run these programs. Even so, there are children who learn about LGBTQ+ for the first time at school and come away thinking, “It’s okay to be myself.”

That is why donations from companies and individuals provide vital support to keep these initiatives going. The 707 servings of avocado toast enjoyed by customers who visited bills this time are also part of what sustains that work.

Not only learning, but also “working” and “living”

ReBit is not focused only on children spending their days at school. It develops its programs around three pillars—“learning, working, and living”—and stands alongside LGBTQ+ people as they face challenges across many stages of life.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

For example, over the past year, 74% of transgender people who experienced finding a job or changing jobs also experienced difficulties or harassment during the hiring process, and some carry their worries alone without being able to consult anyone. In addition, when people face multiple challenges—such as depression and other mental disorders, or financial hardship—it can become even harder for them to connect with support.

ReBit also provides career support for LGBTQ+ people, welfare services, and free online consultation support. Most of the more than 6,000 free career consultations each year are sustained by donations. Just as there are children who, through classes at school, come to believe they can “be themselves as they grow into adulthood,” there must also be places where people can seek advice with peace of mind after graduation—in the contexts of working and living. The donations from this project also help power ReBit’s work of standing alongside people through many moments in life.

The importance of increasing “allies” within a 5-meter radius—starting with avocado toast

In recent years, changes in laws and systems have progressed, and awareness of the term “LGBTQ+” has grown. However, the difficulties that people concerned face in everyday life still remain.

One point that stayed with us as we spoke with ReBit was the presence of “the people within a 5-meter radius.” Of course, changes in laws and systems are important. At the same time, having someone at school, at work, or at home who makes you think, “Maybe it would be okay to talk to this person or in this place,” can be a major source of support. Ms. Yakushi of ReBit explained that, to change the day-to-day hardships faced by LGBTQ+ people, it is important not only to improve systems, but also to foster understanding and change among the people close by—within that 5-meter radius.

In this project as well, many messages reached Ms. Yakushi at ReBit saying, “I supported you by eating the avocado toast!” She noted that this made the presence of allies visible. For some, it may simply be an everyday action—enjoying a plate of avocado toast. Yet that action can become a starting point for learning about LGBTQ+ issues and reflecting on the people close to you. A steady accumulation of such small changes may become the spark that helps someone think, “Maybe there are people here who understand me, too.” That is why we once again felt how important it is for support to spread in a visible way in familiar places such as restaurants.

In the latter half of the report session, we also exchanged ideas about what bills can do going forward. Suggestions included placing LGBTQ+-related books in the store’s book area, subtly signaling that staff are allies, and even exploring the possibility of holding in Japan the drag brunch show that is popular at bills in Sydney. It was a meaningful time to consider not “ending with a donation,” but what kinds of experiences and communication we can continue to create through bills as a place.

Toward a future connected through everyday “delicious” moments

Through this project, we truly felt that the warm connections born from the positive everyday feeling of “delicious” can become a solid boost for children and young people to envision their future in their own way.

We also relearned the importance, as a PR and communications company, of not merely turning information into a topic of conversation, but of deeply understanding a client’s philosophy and creating communications that engage sincerely with social issues.

Toward a society where everyone can live as themselves. Please look forward to the challenges ahead from bills and SUNNY SIDE UP!

©Koji Hanabuchi

At SUNNY SIDE UP, we handle PR and communications for a wide range of products and services, including food and restaurants.

What can be achieved through the power of communication? We welcome consultations starting from such questions. Please feel free to contact us using the “CONTACT” button below.