52,000 boxes loaded with fresh food for Pesach landed on the doorstep of 38,000 children in Israel over the course of last week. These deliveries were part of a gargantuan operation by Tov V’Chesed to free starving children across Israel from their hunger and shame this Zman Cheiraseinu.

Over the past 2 months, tens of thousands of requests for food for Pesach poured into the Tov V’Chesed office, maxing out Tov V’Chesed’s giant warehouse in Yerushalayim, which was used for yom tov distributions over the past 14 years. Unfazed by the overflowing demand, Rabbi Shisha scoured locations across Israel for a second warehouse that was big enough to house Tov V’Chesed’s mammoth Pesach operation and central enough to reach every single neighborhood in the country. After rigorous searching, the right warehouse was located in Beit Shemesh, and the Tov V’Chesed team jumped right into the operation with their trademark zeal.

While the rest of the world was busy vacuuming corners in search of chometz, Rabbi Shisha and his team of volunteers were busy searching for sources for 1,387,765 pounds of food. Once all the orders were placed, both Tov V’Chesed warehouses were engulfed in a whirlwind of deliveries from suppliers and frenzied packing.

What do 2 warehouses, 127 determined volunteers, 5 weeks of nonstop hard work and 52,000 boxes equal? 1,387,765 pounds of food and simchas yom tov for 38,000 hungry children.

This equation seems impossible – but nothing is impossible for Rabbi Yaakov Eliezer Shisha, the founder of Tov V’Chesed. Driven by his childhood promise to ensure no child experiences the hunger and shame he did, Rabbi Shisha runs this mammoth chesed operation year after year.

5,200 impoverished families found the fruits of Tov V’Chesed volunteers’ hard work at their door this week. 76,000 little eyes lit up at the sight of what they innocently believed was a standard grocery order. Deprived of food for months, the boxes filled with an abundance of fresh, top quality food products for Pesach meant the world to these starving children.

No matter how big the burden grows, Rabbi Shisha is determined to never turn away a hungry child. He therefore turns to you with an urgent request for help. Over the past 2 days, 165 additional families have applied for emergency assistance. These families have been desperately searching for sources of income, hoping to be self-sufficient by the time Pesach rolls around. Unfortunately, Pesach is just a few days away and these families, still hungry and destitute, had no choice but to reach out to Tov V’Chesed for food at the last minute.

Please do all you can to save the hungry children from the families who still need food for Pesach! You have the power to send these children food so they can enjoy a simchas yom tov. No matter how much you can give, every dollar you send will mean the world to a hungry, pained child.

Donations can be made online at www.tovvchesed.com, over the phone at 845-517-0656, or mailed to P.O. B. 855 Monsey, NY 10952. Tizku L’Mitzvos!

Photos by JDN