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The economic crisis that followed the outbreak of the coronavirus led to a significant increase of food insecurity among vulnerable families in Israel. "People living with food insecurity are people who do not know when or what their next meal will be," says Dr. Irit Davidovitch, COO of Leket Israel, the organization entrusted with rescuing produce from farmers, and food vendors across Israel including IDF army bases, hotels, restaurants and catering companies and distributing it on to 330 nonprofits, feed 246,000 Israelis weekly.
According to a 2016 report by the National Insurance Institute, there are 513,000 families (17.8%) living in Israel, over one and a half million people (18.2%) and over 630,000 children (25.5%) live with food insecurity. According to Leket Israel and BDO estimates, the corona crisis has led to 155,000 entering a state of food insecurity joining the circle of poverty, which they had not previously experienced.
Following the crisis, many employees in the high-tech industry, such as Amdocs and Google, started working from home. With no workers in the building, companies closed their cafeterias thereby halting food rescue efforts. "We realized we needed to change our method, so we opened up a designated route for IDF army dining rooms," she explains.
The problem is that this is a time-consuming procedure and in the meantime, we are leaving entire populations, such as the elderly and students, without a way to receive food. It was specifically for them that we moved from rescuing food to purchasing food. We bought 12,000 meals for them every day, and one-third we delivered straight to their homes.
There is a change in government thinking.
Another change the organization made overnight was direct distribution to the recipients' homes. Before Covid-19, Leket Israel worked with approximately 240 non-profit organizations, which distributed the food to the beneficiaries. Following the crisis, the number jumped to 340 NPOs, local authorities and organizations asking for help, but due to lockdown and the fear of leaving the house, Leket Israel distributed hot meals directly to the homes of the recipients.
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"Our workers, who were not accustomed to it, saw the hunger and sadness in the recipient's eyes and the feeling of loneliness, panic and also the endless gratitude. They shared heartbreaking stories of people who yesterday morning, were just like them, and suddenly became the recipients. It was not easy.
How do you ensure the quality of the food you deliver to the families in need?
Leket Israel works according to strict food safety procedures, and we have teams that make sure everyone works according to these rules. There are also teams that check the quality and standards of the food. When we see that the food is unsuitable for eating, we don't take it. We make sure the food is kosher, and whoever produces it, must have the Ministry of Health's approval. It is important to note that Leket Israel provides a healthy and nutritious meal, and provides a variety of foods. We also conduct health workshops, to teach the recipients how to eat right and healthy even with a limited budget.
Can the recipient sue you if what he ate, caused him to have an upset stomach, or is the organization that donated the food reliable?
Three years ago, the Knesset approved a bill to encourage the rescue of surplus food (which we were instrumental in passing) which protects food donors and nonprofits, who meet the food safety standards, from criminal and civil prosecution for their donations."
All the incredible work of Leket Israel, is possible with the help from donations, which are estimated at NIS 70 million ($22 million) a year. "Every year we are concerned about how many donations we will receive, but it's important to mention, that in the past year we have received NIS 20 million ($6.2 million) more than the previous year, mostly from Jewish philanthropists from abroad who have seen the distress in Israel.
You do an amazing job, but there are those who will say that it is not your job to do but the country's.
It's true that it should be the State's responsibility, but unfortunately, that's not happening and we cannot stand aside when there is so much hunger in the country. The good news is that there is a change in the State's thinking on the issue and for the first time, a specific amount was added to the State's budget base in the amount of NIS 100 million ($31 million) specifically for food insecurity. Nevertheless, the budget is not enough, but it's a great start.
What do you need most of all? Donations or volunteers?
"Mostly financial support. These days we are in working in full force with the goal that no one will go hungry during the holiday season or the rest of the year. The fourth wave of Covid-19 is in full swing and the crisis is still here with its consequences still not entirely clear. We also need more food donations, but without funding, we cannot rescue more food. In order to build a stable operational plan, a fixed budget is required and we hope we can rely not only on philanthropists and donations but also on a fixed budget from the State, which will allow us to implement plans to increase the scope of rescue in the future.
To donate to the Giving Meal campaign click here
