Four containers of new equipment have arrived in Israel and Yad Sarah employees and volunteers are busy distributing items ahead of Yomtov, aware that ahead of Pesach there is a significant increase in requests.

The new equipment includes 700 wheelchairs, 700 bath chairs, and 100 lifts [for the disabled]. Yad Sarah officials expect to loan no less than 10,000 items by the end of Yomtov via its nationwide network of pick up stations. This includes thousands of wheelchairs and walkers, hundreds of portable oxygen tanks, and dozens of hospital beds and lifting apparatus.

Yad Sarah reports lending 273,000 medical items in 2012 in over 100 nationwide branches. Officials explain that is one item every two minutes.

Some Additional Yad Sarah Trivia:

· Drivers of one of the organizations transport vehicles for disabled and wheelchair bound commuters made over 130,000 trips in 2012.

· 19,000 people are hooked into the organization’s emergency 27/7 emergency ‘moked’ dispatch center nationwide.

· Yad Sarah volunteers made 90,000 visits to homebound residents in 2012.

· Yad Sarah dentists treated 7,300 homebound patients in 2012.

· Volunteer attorneys and other professionals assist 7,100 elderly citizens seeking advice on different matters.

· Workshops repaired over 120,000 items to restore them to workable condition.

· 6,000 volunteers invested 1,330,000 hours assisting in 2012 amounting to 30 million NIS if they were paid minimum wage.

· The organization’s annual budget is 80 million NIS.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)