לקראת החגים: זינוק בביקוש לסלי מזון בירושלים
עמותות הסיוע ברחבי העיר מדווחות על עלייה בביקוש מצד משפחות מתקשות – השנה יחולקו לקראת ערב ראש השנה אלפי סלי מזון. העמותות פונות לירושלמים לתרום ככל יכולתם. הפרטים בפנים
For the Holidays: A surge in demand for food baskets in Jerusalem
Aid organizations across the city are reporting an increase in demand from struggling families – this year, thousands of food baskets will be distributed for New Year’s Eve. The NGOs appeal to Jerusalemites to contribute as much as they can.
This year, ahead of Rosh Hashanah, which will take place in 10 days, September 29, 19, thousands of Jerusalemite families will have difficulty turning to nonprofits and aid organizations throughout the city. About 45 percent of Jerusalem residents are below the poverty line, of which about 25 percent are from the Jewish sector – according to data from the 2017 Jerusalem Institute for Policy Studies. For the holiday, many nonprofits have embarked on a campaign to distribute thousands of food baskets to families in need for the holiday season. One of the non-profit organizations in Jerusalem that does not stop working for the holidays day and night is “Naomi’s Grace.” This year, the association will distribute thousands of food baskets to families in neighborhoods around the city. The association says that in the last week there has been an increase in the number of referrals and they expect that in the coming week they will receive more requests for assistance. This year, the organization distributes a food basket that includes products that families need for the holiday – such as honey, pomegranates, wine, honey cake and more, along with the basic products that exist in a food basket that the organization distributes throughout the year – flour, salt, sugar and more. Along with the products the association distributes purchase coupons to the various supermarket chains. The association, it should be noted, will distribute 250 food baskets this year to Holocaust survivors in Jerusalem. The “Naomi’s Grace” association can be contacted at the national hotline: 4549 *.
Food baskets by the Sakhi Association (Photo: Inbar Rothschild)
The “Tachlit” charity, which distributes food baskets in Jerusalem all year, is stepping up activities for the New Year and the holiday season. Founded 21 years ago, the nonprofit says they distribute more than 1,500 food baskets every week to needy, single-parent families, patients, orphans, widows and residents who are facing financial problems. The association receives thousands of inquiries via email, fax and telephone. The “Tachlit” basket is made up of 14 kg of fruits and vegetables, with some families also receiving basic products such as oil, rice, sugar, legumes, canned goods and baked goods, and some receive chicken and fish. “For the holiday we are in a division marathon,” says a conversation with “All the Town” Aaron Cohen, CEO of Tachlit Association. Alongside the distribution of food baskets, Tachlit is working to help families in need with various home products. Volunteers in the organization work to transport patients to hospitals across the country. The “Tachlit” association can be contacted at the national hotline: 6031 *.
Food Baskets Yad Aid for Israel (Photo: Rabbi Communications for Yad Aid Israel)
Helping Hand Coalition Israel works to help people in need, especially Holocaust survivors. This week, the association says that the distribution is done in advance and includes the distribution of thousands of food baskets filled with various products such as basic products, gift packages including wine, food labels, hygiene and toiletries, kitchen tools and more. These days, the association is giving away free food to thousands of Holocaust survivors and shopping bags. The operation lasted for about a month also in the Mevaseret Zion and Meta Yehuda area. Recipients of assistance include needy families, single mothers, as well as single seniors. “We are amazed and saddened by the plight of thousands of Holocaust survivors each time and love to help them otherwise, without our assistance, they will not be able to celebrate Rosh Hashanah,” said Luke Gasiorowski, director of Helping Hand Coalition Israel, the son of the organization’s chairman, Andre Gasiorowski.
Helping Hand Coalition Israel is an organization that works to help Holocaust survivors across the country through a variety of actions and measures, including the Shalom House project operated by some 25 local authorities and allows Holocaust survivors to enjoy a hot meal and social gathering, importing containers with private clothing that is distributed free to survivors, food coupons for use by Holocaust survivors, documenting Holocaust survivors’ memories, calling for medical help, initiating Bar Mitzvah celebrations for Holocaust survivors who did not celebrate it as a child, assisting and participating in the parade of life, and more. The Helping Hand Coalition Association can be contacted on 04-6897030. Be Peace: Assistance to Multiple and Single Parent Families Another nonprofit that handles food baskets for families in Jerusalem for New Year’s Eve is “Be Peace.” This week, the “Be Peace” organization said that they are expected to distribute some 250 food baskets for needy families in the Jerusalem area, Netivot and central areas before the New Year with a target of 1,500 people. The food baskets are packed with a variety of dry products and they also come with 15kg of fruits and vegetables and food coupons that families can buy for chicken and fish for the holiday. About a week ago, “Hayal Shalom” opened its registration to receive food baskets for families in need on New Year’s Eve. The “Hayes Shalom” association can be contacted at 058-4021443.
Food baskets by the Sakhi Association (Photo: Inbar Rothschild)
The organization that helps families in need throughout the year, the “Sakhi” organization, is expected to work full force this coming week. The organization states that they are conducting a food basket distribution campaign across Jerusalem, with about 500 volunteers, mostly youth, participating. About 2,000 baskets for the Jerusalem families. Avraham Hayon, CEO of Sakhi, notes that “as long as it depends on Sakhi’s youth – they will not leave a single family without food on the holiday. This year, too, all of Sakhi’s mercy patrols are recruiting to make sure families can sit around the holiday table. The teens, who come from the social and geographic periphery, help thousands of families in Israel every week. They choose the giving way – and that changes their lives completely. In Sakhi boys and girls – they won’t leave a single family without food at the holiday table.” The SAHI not only distributes food to families in need, but also developed a unique educational model a decade ago, in which teens living in neighborhoods in the geographic and social periphery in Israel set up a patrol to help those in need in the neighborhood. Local assistance actions as needed, such as home improvement, event organization, disability assistance, etc. The youth develop a sense of ability and community affiliation, while helping hundreds of families in the neighborhood. SAHI operates in dozens of cities across the country, with 37 different units comprised of boys and girls ages 13-18, the centers of activity are Jerusalem, the center of the country and the southern region. SAHI Organization: 054-7192926 www.sahi-israel.org
Written by: Hadassah Schneider
