Colel Chabad combats COVID-induced food insecurity for families
Some 200,000 Israeli families will be assisted through this program, which will include cards with which to purchase food, in addition to food boxes.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFThe envelope containing the 'food debit cards' that families in need will receive to address the economic crisis they have been dealing with due to the coronavirus pandemic, February 22, 2021. (photo credit: Courtesy)
Colel Chabad, a charity organization catering to a wide variety of personal and communal needs, took on the important task of manning the distribution of the Interior Ministry's latest initiative to help families in need.“This historic undertaking comes at a truly critical time for our nation where thousands of new families have been thrust into poverty," said Rabbi Mendy Blau, director of Colel Chabad in Israel.According to a report by the Israel National Council for the Child, one in every three Israeli children was living under the poverty line during the coronavirus crisis in 2020."We view it with both pride and a great sense of responsibility that the government has entrusted us with this historic mission, and we firmly believe that our experience and network will be instrumental in making this a process that will bring much needed assistance as quickly and effectively as possible," said Blau.Some 200,000 Israeli families will be assisted through this program, which will include cards with which to purchase food, in addition to food boxes and other forms of assistance.Colel Chabad will be responsible for the families in Israel's South, Central region and Jerusalem, as well as Judea and Samaria. Another food distribution organization, Pitchon Lev, will take on the rest.Families below the poverty line will receive some NIS 700 million via the cards to pay for food under this new initiative.Interior Minister Aryeh Deri said he was "deeply proud and appreciative" to lead this project."This period has presented an ongoing financial nightmare that has made daily life a literal fight for survival for so many," Deri said. "The reality is that many families are suffering from hunger and need immediate support."According to statistics published in December by the nonprofit Latet (To Give) organization, some 268,000 new households were plunged into poverty by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, up from 582,000 in 2019.
Expounding the virtues of the project, Deri added that "this represents the culmination of an extensive effort where these beneficiaries will now receive dedicated debit cards that enable them to go out and buy critical food supplies in a respectable way that protects their dignity."
