Leket Israel, the nation’s food bank, kicked off a new initiative on Israel Independence Day that has already garnered 59,043 meals from Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bases around the country that were donated to the hungry in Israel, instead of being thrown away. The special campaign was designed to intensify the already exceptional cooperation with the IDF.

“Leket’s partnership with the IDF is unique among other countries,” said Leket Israel Founder and Chairman Joseph Gitler. “We cooperate with the highest levels of the military throughout the year to collect food in a fruitful endeavor to help alleviate hunger in Israel while reducing food waste. We kicked off the program to coincide with Yom HaAtzmaut, but will continue the successful program to increase awareness for the benefits that food rescue offers Israeli society. We are determined to use the momentum to continue with the campaign in upcoming weeks.”

The story of Leket’s meteoric rise to become Israel’s national food bank is truly inspirational. When Gitler first started Leket in 2003, he was running the food collection and distribution using only his car and home refrigerator. Today, the organization has 100 employees and 52,000 annual volunteers, 10 refrigerated trucks and a large warehouse in the center of Israel. Leket collects and redistributes food on a national level, providing over 2 million meals each year.

Recently, Leket Israel has begun to further cultivate food redistribution in Israel with government initiatives such as the proposed legislation for Israel’s first Food Donation Act. If passed, this law would protect food donors from liability and hopefully encourage more donations from restaurants, hotels and other businesses. Gitler cited the act as a “momentous step forward” that will allay legal reservations potential donors may have, leading to increased food donations.

In addition, if you or your family would like to join the thousands of Leket volunteers in the meaningful experience of picking produce to donate, please visit Leket’s website to register. www.leket.org/English

Leket Israel-The National Food Bank is the leading food rescue non-profit organization that collects fresh, perishable food, which would otherwise be considered waste, from farms, hotels, military bases and catering halls in an effort to aid the quarter of the country’s population that lives below the poverty line. The organization works with 195 NGOs throughout the country to distribute nutritious food to over 175,000 Israelis each week. Last year alone, Leket collected over 30 million pounds of food for the needy.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)