Today Israel is celebrating 75 years of independence. Looking at the country today, it is incredible to see what has been built in such a short time. Survivors from the Holocaust started rebuilding their lives in Israel and native Israelis were struggling to start fresh at the end of the British mandate while absorbing immigrants from all over the world. 75 years later we are a strong nation, a troubled nation, an economically robust nation. A nation of people who want to be here. Who want to make a life for themselves in Israel and who want to see Israel grow and most importantly, to thrive.

Watching the progress of the State is not unlike the growth of Leket Israel. 20 years ago, Leket Israel did not exist. It was a vision of one man who put all the pieces in place and started this organization. For a long time, we were largely dependent on overseas funds and continuous travel, especially to the US, to garner support for this unique idea of food rescue in Israel. Like the State of Israel, Leket Israel has shown great advancement since its inception two decades ago. It took us some time to figure out who we really are and what we stand for and that we need to put our emphasis and strategy on becoming the hardworking food rescue organization we are today. Leket Israel a unique organization in Israel and probably around the world. We are visionaries who develop new ideas and are always at the forefront of operation and development. We have our share of failures but as a determined organization we know how to overcome, learn from our mistakes and be better at what we do. We lead the food rescue mission in Israel and with a creative and passionate team we will continue doing so in the future. 

Recently I participated in the Global Foodbanking Network’s FoodBanking Learning Institute where we exchanged best practices and learned from peers. It is always fascinating to me to meet others who are working in the same field and to see how different and unique we all are. With twenty years of experience under our belt we are able to give guidance to new organizations and share our challenges and successes. Many of the food banks work very differently than we do but we all work toward the same goal of providing food for those in need. However, it is clear that Leket Israel is at the cutting edge of food rescue and distribution. We (unfortunately) have significant experience with disaster relief and adjusting our operations and activities accordingly. I spoke at the opening of the conference and shared my view on being at the forefront not just in food rescue but in all aspects. We are utilizing new technology to help propel our operations, creating new paths of development increasing our brand awareness through media and public relations to show our audience the importance of the work that Leket Israel does. Not because we want the applause or credit, but because we owe it to our recipients to provide them with the best service possible.

The story of Leket Israel is not unlike the story of the State of Israel. Starting with nothing and achieving success for the benefit of those who need it most is a history that we both share. It is a story of a group of hardworking individuals who faced adversity head on and grew to be leaders in their own right. It is a story of a people who planted seeds in the desert and then donated the surplus produce to people in need. So, if you find correlation between Israel celebrating 75 years and Leket Israel celebrating 20 years, it just means that we are on the correct path.

Yom Haatzmaut Sameach to everyone!