According to Dr. Yitzchak Kadmon of the National Child Welfare Council, many of the nation’s children are not anxiously awaiting Tuesday’s opening of schools, but are preoccupied with the day-to-day concerns and hunger pains which unfortunately accompany too much of their lives.

According to Bituach Leumi (National Insurance Institute) statistics, some 800,000 Israeli children live under the poverty line, including unemployed families, working poor families and simply families with many children.

Efforts have been made in recent years to provide a subsidized nourishing meal to students from needy families but despite the effort, only an estimated 155,000 thousand children receive the meals while there are at least 242,000 who qualify. In reality 87,000 children enrolled in long school day programs are not receiving the meals.

As far as Dr. Kadmon is concerned, the hot meals should not only be made available to eligible students in extended programs, but even those in ‘regular’ programs since they will not find a nourishing meal at home. As is the case in other areas of societies, non-profits are moving in to fill the void, supplying sandwiches and food for students from needy homes in the hope of ensuring they receive at least one hearty meal a day.

Unfortunately, global economic realities have resulted in the collapse of many a non-profit and while others have survived, they are finding it difficult to extend their assistance to the growing number of needy.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)