The monthy update for our most dedicated supporters from CEO Gidi Kroch
In this edition:
- A Bounty of Broccoli
- New Food Donors – February 2018
- Upcoming Event in NYC: Scaling Chutzpah
- Meet Leket Israel’s Drivers’ Assistants
- National Nutritional Security Conference in Afula
- Spotlight on a Leket NPO Partner: Ort Beit Ha’arava High School
A Bounty of Broccoli
At Leket, we are always ready for an unexpected opportunity to rescue food. Earlier this month, we were able to rescue over 55,000 lbs. of grade-A broccoli within 24 hours of receiving the first call. Here’s how it happened: 
February 4th
2:00pm: Leket field manager, Eyal, received a call that a large shipment of broccoli had been rejected by a major frozen food company and that Leket Israel might be able to rescue it.
5:00pm: Eyal received permission from the frozen food company to inspect the quality of the broccoli the next day.
February 5th
6:15am: Leket Israel field staff were on site, checked the produce and found it to be of excellent quality. The next few of hours were spent making arrangements, finding a location to bring the broccoli, ensuring the company’s equipment was returned on time and finding a truck to transport the unexpected bounty.
8:30am: The broccoli was brought to Leket’s fields in Nahalal where volunteers assisted in sorting it into Leket equipment.
1:30pm: All 25 tons of broccoli were safely stored in the refrigerators at Leket’s Ra’anana Logistics Center, ready to be distributed to the needy.
This month, Leket Israel harvested the first 5 tons of cucumbers from our Binyamina greenhouses and rescued 307 tons of potatoes.
New Food Donors – February 2018
This month Leket Israel began collecting 10,000 additional hot meals from:
- 4 Israel Defense Force bases – 3,800 meals a month
- Leonardo Club Hotel Jerusalem – 1,200 meals a month
- Visa CAL Company in Givatayim – 2,400 meals a month
- Israel Military Industries Ltd. – 2,400 meals a month
Upcoming Event in NYC: Scaling Chutzpah
On April 9th, I will be participating in the Scaling Chutzpah conference in New York City. The conference will feature over a dozen Jewish CEOs and founders of major and remarkable companies. The conference will include a panel on social entrepreneurship Making Do Well by Doing Good Happen with the CEOs of four major Jewish and Israeli nonprofits and yours truly.
If you are able to attend, it is an event not to be missed!
Meet Leket Israel’s Drivers’ Assistants
Four young men with special needs accompany and assist Leket Israel drivers in collecting and distributing hot meals. The young men, Yair, Liran, Roee and Uri, volunteer as part of the National Service (Sherut Leumi) program as an alternative to military service.
Yair, 20 accompanies driver Gadiel in the Kiryat Gat region. He is in his second year volunteering with Leket and recently received a certificate in recognition of his service. He loves sports and animals, especially his dog, Angie. According to his family, Yair has grown in independence since volunteering with Leket and has grown very close to Gadiel and the organization.
Liran, 19 has been accompanying driver Lidar in central Israel since September. He enjoys soccer, basketball and computers. Before volunteering with Leket, Liran was often starved for company. Now, he gets to socialize and help people throughout the day and Lidar comes to play soccer with him every Saturday.
National Nutritional Security Conference in Afula
On February 13th, several Leket Israel staff attended the First Conference for Nutritional Security and Healthy Nutrition for All in Afula. The conference included many of the leading figures in the field in Israel. I was featured on a panel about creating a national plan to increase nutritional security. Professor Aron Troen of the Hebrew University presented his study on the impact of Leket Israel’s food on needy populations at the conference as well. Throughout the day, Leket Israel was mentioned as a positive example of how to serve nutritionally insecure populations by many presenters.
Spotlight on a Leket NPO Partner:
Ort Beit Ha’arava High School
Every weekday Leket Israel delivers around 100 hot meals to the Ort Beit Ha’arava High School in Jerusalem. The high school is part of the Ort network of schools which provide vocational training in addition to the standard curriculum. The school has been receiving rescued meals from Leket for about two years.
Ilanit, an administrator at the school shares, “Most of the students are not able to receive an adequate lunch from home. Bringing all of the students together to eat a filling and nutritious meals changes the whole atmosphere at the school, it brings a calm and a feeling of equality. One student said that the lunches remind him of Shabbat meals at his grandmother’s house.”
The Beit Ha’arava High School is part of the Ort network of schools that provide vocational training as well as a high quality standard education to youth at risk. Courses and internships are offered in auto repair, hairstyling, cell phone repair, tech support and more, enabling students to graduate with valuable job skills. The hot lunches provided by Leket Israel allow the students to stay focused through a longer school day so that they can get the most out of their education.
The school works to instill the values of giving back in its students and regularly brings them to volunteer harvesting vegetables for the needy in Leket Israel’s fields.
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