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Ellen Rosenberg, an immigrant from the United States and retired tour guide, has been volunteering at Leket Israel since the beginning of the pandemic. “Leket Israel always had so many volunteers helping in the Logistics Center from overseas, schools, and companies, but when Covid-19 hit, the tourists stopped coming,” recounted Ellen. The Leket Israel Volunteer Department sent out messages to locals asking for help. “I received a message in my tour guide WhatsApp group that Leket Israel was urgently seeking volunteers, and I immediately signed up.”
Ellen says she enjoys the camaraderie with the other volunteers, but the most gratifying experience has been volunteering with her daughter Maggie, who recently started joining in her weekly volunteer sessions at Leket. Ellen says that when raising her children, she instilled in them the value of giving back to the community. “It’s important to be helpful,” she says. “It’s better to be part of the solution than the problem.”
As for Maggie, volunteering at Leket Israel has been a great experience. “I love volunteering with my mom,” she acknowledges. “It’s a win-win situation. I get to spend time with my mom, and also do something good for someone else.”
Ellen hopes that one day Maggie’s children will come volunteer as well. “When my granddaughter comes to volunteer with us, we’ll have three generations supporting Leket Israel, and I’ll be the proudest grandmother you’ve ever seen.”
