LEKET ISRAEL
Did you know that a staggering 20 per cent of Israel’s population suffers some level of nutritional insecurity?
At the same time, significant amounts of healthy excess food are destroyed by Israel’s food industry each day.
According to the 2019 Food Waste and Rescue in Israel Report, 2.5 million tons of food is wasted annually in Israel, of which 1.2 million tons is suitable for rescuing.
This paradox led Joseph Gitler to establish Leket Israel in 2003. Today, Leket’s innovative programmes lead the way in Israeli food rescue, for the benefit of those in need across the whole country.
Each day, Leket collects fresh food from a variety of sources — agricultural produce from fields and packing houses and hot meals from hotels, from catering companies and from military bases (IDF).
With the spread of Covid-19, Leket Israel was forced to adapt its operations in the face of the new reality.
During coronavirus lockdowns, the cooked food sources dried up overnight on the one hand, while on the other hand the agricultural produce donations were significantly increased.
With restrictions in place, Leket’s volunteers were forced to cancel their attendance, leaving the sorting and packing to a limited number of staff members working extremely hard.
These limitations were accompanied by a sharp increase in demand for food assistance from Leket’s non-profit partner agencies.
Leket Israel staff didn’t allow anyone who sought assistance to go hungry and, in a dramatic departure from Leket’s food rescue model, the organisation began partnering catering companies around the country and hired them to cook meals specifically for Israelis in need.
The logistics department pivoted from redistributing single meals daily, to delivering boxes of six to eight meals to each recipient.
After 18 years, Leket Israel continues to fulfil its vision every day, by distributing food to more than 246,000 Israelis in need and ensuring that they have a secure, regular source of healthy food.
This could not be accomplished without the thousands of dedicated volunteers who lend their time and efforts to collect food, pick produce, and prepare packages for distribution to Leket’s NPOs. Unfortunately, times remain difficult and, worryingly, non-profits report a 45 per cent increase in need compared to prepandemic times. In addition, currently the delta variant is creating increased uncertainty coupled with the threat of more crippling lockdowns.
You can help Leket meet this growing need by donating a Giving Meal over the holidays.
With your help and for every £180, Leket can support Israel’s elderly, Holocaust survivors, working poor, singleparent families and children at risk with rescued fresh fruit and veg for a whole year.
The Leket Family wishes you a sweet and healthy shana tova.