The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ,) on May 27, dedicated a new truck to distribute food to people suffering food insecurity as part of a project in collaboration with Leket.
The food truck is to be used by EAT - Persia’s Kitchen and will help families and seniors in need across Israel.
The dedication was marked with a ceremony at the ORT Gutman School in Netanya.
IFCJ donated $42,247, to make the project possible, which funded the purchase of the truck as well as additional support related to adapting the vehicle for food distribution.
This truck was just the first of many, as plans are being put in place to expand the program and purchase more vehicles to transport food to those in need across the country. The IFCJ contributes over $80 million annually towards a variety of food security projects in Israel, and plans to add this to their expansive philanthropic works in the Jewish state.
Fighting against food insecurity
Pesia’s Kitchen program began as a modest initiative launched in three ORT schools where students volunteered to prepare food packages made from items gathered by Leket Israel from surplus agricultural produce and food production facilities. The program, coordinated in cooperation with “Derekh Kfar” has since grown to include 12 ORT schools across Israel and has enabled students to play an active role in the fight against food poverty.
“This project is another step forward in our ongoing effort to find new and increasingly effective ways to address hunger and poverty across Israel,” said Yael Eckstein, president of IFCJ, Israel’s largest provider of humanitarian aid in Israel, supporting needy populations through a variety of projects and initiatives. “This partnership brings together multiple agencies who have the tools and resources to make effective and lasting change for thousands of families in need. The Fellowship, and our hundreds of thousands of supporters around the world, take great pride in knowing that this support will help thousands of Israelis deal with the challenges of food security that they face each and every day.”
Tal Bar Maoz, Principal at the ORT Gutman School in Netanya where the IFCJ truck was dedicated commented, “A central part of our school’s educational vision is to highlight the importance of giving back and community involvement. Every week our students will be involved in preparing and packaging produce. This is a source of great pride to see people benefiting from our student’s charitable hard work and to ensure that this produce doesn’t go to waste.”