NGOs Nevet and Leket Israel have joined forces to deliver warm meals and food packages to families and children in the Nevet Breakfast Program.
For over 9,000 financially and socially disadvantaged school children across Israel, the daily sandwiches they receive during school from Nevet might have been the only nutritious food of their day. Today, when these children are home due to lockdown imposed on the economy, including the school system, the lack of nutritional support presents increased challenges for them and their families.
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Working to support the elderly and needy families, Leket Israel, the national food rescue organization which typically collects surplus food to distribute via 200 organizations, has now begun delivering meals directly to homebound seniors throughout the country.
In these unprecedented, challenging times, the two organizations have come together now joining forces to help supply hot meals and food boxes to families and children which regularly rely on Nevet. As privacy has always been a primary goal, school principals in the Nevet program are reaching out to the students directly and identifying those that are in need of support during this challenging time. Local authorities are providing support with volunteers to distribute the food.
"This is a challenging time and it is forcing us to find alternate ways to help these children," said Nevet CEO Rotem Yosef-Giladi.
"This crisis is not just that the children are out of school but as a result they are being deprived of their regular source of nutrition. With our partnership with Leket Israel, we are able to provide hot meals and food essentials that reaches both the children and their families who we know are all in need."
In the first phase of this project, based on donations, food will be distributed to several hundred families in the center of the country, followed by the addition of other locations, as budget allows.
The distribution will be in coordination with and with the approval of the families of the students. Each family will receive two boxes containing 12 prepackaged hot meals as well as a box of rolls and spreads for breakfast and dinner.
Gidi Kroch, CEO of Leket Israel. noted that, "It's heartwarming to see the levels of cooperation that come about out of crisis that allow us to help those in need. The partnership will allow for a more complete solution to families who are used to eating in a particular setting, like soup kitchens or schools, that have now had to close because of the crisis. We are doing everything in our power to adjust ourselves to these new regulations and help reduce the hardships that this situation is having on the needy."
To donate to Nevet, click here.
