Many families evacuated from their homes in the South and the North as well as reservists are struggling to bring home food for the holiday, data have shown.
According to Nir Shmol, chairman of the Snir Association: "There has been a 700% increase in the number of families who have turned to the association with a request to receive food baskets for the holiday. The association is preparing to distribute 2,000 food baskets for Passover.”
The year 2024 opened in the shadow of the war and additional price increases. The damages of the war to the various sectors, combined with a high-interest rate environment, have made it very difficult financially in Israel, including for the households of reservists and many evacuees.
This difficult situation brings more and more families to request help not only with food baskets but also with assistance with electricity payments, property tax, water, rent, and more. Many families who were in the middle class are now forced to ask for help from associations and organizations that can help them.
"The Snir Association established a huge operations room in the Golden Mall in Rishon Lezion with the assistance of the Gindi family and Yossi Lagaziel, the CEO of the mall, who are full partners of the association in this important activity,” Shmol said.
“The intention is to pack up to 2,000 food baskets for families in severe economic hardship, for evacuees and especially those who aren’t staying in hotels and are not working and have also entered economic hardship, for lone soldiers and various IDF units.”
The packing will be done by about 350 volunteers from workplaces and Snir volunteers.
In the past, the cost of a basic food basket provided by the association cost about NIS 200 and included dry products, matzah, and more. Today, the cost of the basket has increased by about 10% compared to the prices from the past year and such a food basket will cost between NIS 300-250 for a single family as a basic basket.
According to Shmol: "Until now the association has helped an average of 1,200 families with the supply of full food baskets every holiday, today the demand is about 2,000 families who ask for help from the association and families with children receive more than one food basket.
Many families tell the management of the association that the funds they receive through the monthly allowances are not enough for daily living. The war further deepened the economic difficulties and the food prices did not stop rising, bringing to our doorstep many families that we previously did not see as those who turn to the association to ask for help.”
At the beginning of the war, the Snir Association established dedicated WhatsApp groups in addition to its existing groups. Each group deals with a different topic, such as a group that deals with mental health and trauma through volunteer professionals, a group for collecting products for babies, a group for transporting equipment, an aid group and packages for soldiers called up, and groups for recruiting volunteers from different regions of the country.
Shmol also pointed out: "As an association that has been operating for 14 years and helps thousands of families every year with help in almost every possible field, we have never encountered such a number of applicants before Passover. This is why we are preparing an increased number of volunteers to help as many families as possible get through the holiday happily ".
For assistance and donations: The Snir Association
This article was written in cooperation with Snir Association