Foundation Awards Grants to Organizations in Israel to Address Food Insecurity During Passover
For Passover this year, The Foundation awarded grants to these three organizations in Israel to address food insecurity during Passover:
Established in 1982, the Jaffa Institute works to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty in South Tel Aviv/Jaffa communities through educational, recreational, and social enrichment programs for disadvantaged children and their families. Its programs include an educational center, a cafeteria and food program, a health care facility, and a center for Ethiopian and Russian immigrant families, which serves 3,000 Israelis annually. During Passover, Jaffa Institute will support the growing food needs of its community as unemployment has increased and food security has decreased. It will deliver food packages containing food staples, holiday-specific necessities, and food vouchers to over 200 Holocaust survivors and 300 elderly individuals.
Founded in 2003, Leket Israel is Israel’s umbrella organization for the donation of surplus food. It provides more than 110 tons of food per week to over 195 soup kitchens, homeless shelters, senior citizen centers, and other social service organizations through-out Israel. Each year during Passover, Leket provides over 34 million pounds of fresh produce to the country’s most needy. Leket has experienced substantial demand for food as unemployment across the country has increased due to COVID-19.
Founded in 1980, Yad Eliezer is Israel’s largest poverty relief agency, serving more than 100,000 individuals and families throughout Israel with its array of food, social service, and life-cycle event programs. Food programs include access to a holiday fund, food box delivery, Feed-A-Baby, Meals-On-Wheels for the elderly, and surplus produce collection. This year during Passover, Yad Eliezer will address an increased demand for food brought about by the pandemic. It will distribute approximately $1 million worth of matzah, chicken, wine, and other holiday essentials to thousands of needy families, disabled and ill adults, and lone soldiers with no family.