Can you put a slight twist to Motzei Yom Kippur? Feel those gnawing pangs at Mincha, the light-headedness at Neilah, the homebound rush following the shofar’s blast, and – break your fast on a slice of bread.

That’s what hunger in Israel feels like. And Rabbi Yakov Eliezer Shisha’s dearest wish is that this was exaggeration.

Being the harrowing reality though, this is the drive that propels his tireless volunteers in the warehouse on 4 Hamasger Street, Jerusalem, Israel. Aforementioned warehouse stands empty now, with the pallets upon pallets of food that were sorted, packed, and stored within its ample confines already loaded onto trucks. Destination of those vehicles were cities and neighborhoods all over Israel, to deliver Sukkos-in-a-box, or rather, many boxes, to 3,500 grateful families.

It’s been a bustling month for Tov V’Chesed, Israel-based organization that provides food and other aid to needy from families that cannot afford the prices of food- still very steep as it’s right after shmittah. With this urgency foremost on the minds of employees and volunteers alike, the group sprang into action!

In August, the non-perishable grocery items for the food packages were delivered to the warehouse, and the hands-on part of Tov V’Chesed’s Sukkos project began. Experience and helpful systems such as conveyors and taping machines have rendered this first phase of packing into a 2-day science. The lights burned merrily through the night, and volunteers were appropriately spirited; they were going to provide much-needed relief to 3,500 families!

The non-perishables were stored in the warehouse and joined by the chicken, fish, meat, fruits and vegetables at the end of last week. These were quickly added to the packages, now comprised of 6-10 boxes per family, and fork-lifted onto waiting trucks which then delivered the packages to neighborhoods all over Israel. But the work of the volunteers wasn’t yet done! Each and every one of the 3,500 families had their package delivered to their doorstep, and that could at times mean a six-flight climb for the volunteers!

See the boxes in the pictures? That’s pure Simchas Yom Tov waiting to happen in so many homes. Thank you, generous donors, for lighting up lives this year!