The earthquake and tsunami severely devastated the vast areas severely, so a great many helping hands were needed. In response to this situation, Santen called for volunteers from among the employees, and sent seven squads of volunteers, amounting to about 60 volunteers in total, to the coastal areas of Iwate Prefecture over a period of about three months from September to November 2011-during which the number of volunteers was expected to decline-to engage in disaster recovery activities.