As we enter 2026, philanthropy is facing a more complex reality than we have known before – not because of a single defining crisis, but due to the accumulation of pressures, needs, and expectations unfolding all at once. The world has grown accustomed to a state of prolonged emergency. Social, economic, and food-related crises are no longer exceptions, they are the baseline. Within this reality, philanthropy is being asked to redefine its role: not only as a response to need, but as a force that creates stability amid ongoing uncertainty.

At Leket Israel, 2026 is a year of choices: managerial, budgetary and value-driven choices.

The first choice: food.
Not processed food or industrial surplus, but fresh agricultural produce. Fruit and vegetables are the foundation of real food security, yet they are also the most complex to rescue. They are seasonal, time-sensitive, and dependent on precise coordination with farmers, manpower, and logistics.

Rescuing agricultural produce at a national scale requires far more than goodwill. It requires a system capable of reaching the field at exactly the right moment, with trained teams, organized volunteers, appropriate equipment, transportation, and refrigeration. Any weak link in this chain leaves food behind, because the resources to be present at the critical moment are not always available.

The second choice: people.
Volunteers are the beating heart of Leket Israel, but even a strong heart requires a support system. Recruitment, training, professional supervision, insurance, transportation, and equipment all carry real, ongoing costs.

Poorly managed volunteering becomes a burden. Done right, volunteering becomes a scalable, long-term asset.

The third choice: organizational resilience.
In an ideal world, every dollar would go directly to food rescue. But in the real world, without data systems, logistics, technology, professional management, and stable teams, national-scale food rescue is impossible.

These investments may not always be visible in the field, but they are the difference between an organization that survives and one that leads.

Within this context stands the challenge of fundraising – though perhaps not in the way it is usually described. The forces shaping philanthropy today are largely external: economic uncertainty, shifting global priorities, market volatility, and growing competition for attention and resources. These forces affect everyone, including strong, transparent, and effective organizations.

Our response to this reality is not to scale back ambition, but to sharpen how we speak about money and impact. At Leket Israel, we take pride in our ability to know, and to show, exactly where every dollar goes: not as a slogan, but as a daily practice of management, oversight, and measurement.

A donation does not disappear into a general fund, it is translated into clearly defined actions: how much agricultural produce was rescued, how many volunteers were mobilized, which communities received food, and what tangible impact was created on the ground.

The strength of philanthropy, especially in times like these, lies in its ability to generate high value relative to investment. Food rescue prevents the destruction of valuable resources, reduces future public costs, strengthens local agriculture, and contributes to social stability. This is not only social action, but also sound economic judgment.

Investment in volunteers, infrastructures, and systems is part of that same responsibility: data, monitoring, logistics planning, and professional teams allow us to understand in real time what works, what needs improvement, and what impact is truly being achieved.

Without this, there is no transparency, and without transparency there is no trust.

Meaningful philanthropy in 2026 is not defined by the question “How much food was distributed?” It is defined by whether a system was built – a system that operates consistently, responds quickly, and sustains impact even as conditions change.

We see our strategic donors as partners in our choices: not only supporters, but people who understand that real impact is created through the combination of values, data, and long-term responsibility.

Thank you for your trust, for direct and thoughtful dialogue, and for choosing to continue investing in an organization where impact can truly be seen.