Leket Israel

5/19/2013 10:27:00 AM

OECD report: Israel, member with high...

According to a report released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) this past week, Israel is the most impoverished of the 33 economically developed countries, with a poverty rate of 21% of the entire population (compared to 13.8% in 1995). The report also notes that Israel continues to be one of the countries with the largest income gaps between the rich and poor...

5/17/2013 12:15:00 PM

Leket: Budget makes it harder to help...

JPOST - May 17, 2013. In response to the draft 2013-14 state budget which included major cuts in services to the middle class, Gidi Kroch, the CEO of Leket Israel, told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday that the cuts will put added strain on agencies caring for the poor. ''NGOs doing food distribution will simply collapse when there is no financial support from the government and they are expected...

4/30/2013 11:23:00 AM

Israel's High Poverty Rate

JPOST - April 10, 2013. ''Israel has the highest poverty level among OECD countries, and the gaps between rich and poor are among the highest of all developed nations--problems that must be addressed immediately,'' so says Prof. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, CEO of the National Insurance Institute. As quoted in the following article, Gidi Kroch, representing the NGO food bank Leket Israel, stressed how th...

2/5/2013 10:55:00 PM

Leket Israel Feeding Israel’s Poor

JEWISH IMAGE - Jan. 2013. “We all waste, but we hate it and we feel guilty about it,” says Joseph Gitler, Founder of Leket Israel. ''Leket’s goal is not to address the root causes of Israeli poverty but to relieve some of the financial burden on the working poor.'' Nearly one in four Israelis lives below the poverty line, but Gitler says that the numbers, however large, do not discourage him. '...

2/5/2013 11:12:00 AM

If we act to eradicate hunger

Rabbi Aaron Goldstein discusses the issue of world hunger in a Tu B'Shevat blog post in the Jewish Chronicle Online. Goldstein cites organizations working to alleviate poverty, including Leket Israel, and leaves off with the words, ''I hope and pray that this Shabbat, this Tu B'Shevat, we may all be actively seeking the eradication of hunger.''

4/29/2013 5:18:00 PM

A message from Leket Israel's CEO, Gi...

Leket Israel, together with other social organizations, academics and foundations, continues to advocate for the funds promised by the former government to help alleviate nutritional insecurity and poverty in Israel. As a result of the recent gov. allocation of 200 million shekels, Leket Israel is hopeful this budget adjustment will help the tens of thousands of needy families living below the ...

4/29/2013 4:46:00 PM

Healthy Snacks for Disadvantaged Scho...

Good nutrition is vital in helping children maximize their potential. As a joint initiative between Cellcom Israel Ltd and Leket Israel, Cellcom employees throughout the country collect healthy snacks for disadvantaged school children through Leket Israel's ''Likut L'Yalkut'' project. These snacks are distributed to hungry students across Israel as a supplement to the 8,000 fresh volunteer prep...

4/29/2013 4:40:00 PM

Happy Israel Independence Day from Le...

April 15, 2013. On behalf of Leket Israel's dedicated staff and 40,000+ annual volunteers, we would like to wish you a happy Israel Independence Day! Leket Israel addresses the paradox of poverty and large-scale food waste in Israel--helping to improve food security conditions in the country for 140,000 Israelis each week.

4/8/2013 4:01:00 PM

VIDEO: People Feeding People

Statistics reveal that over 400,000 families in Israel suffer from nutritional insecurity, the inability due to poverty to acquire an adequate amount of food on a reliable, routine basis. Yet, at the same time, hundreds of thousands of tons of good, nutritious food is destroyed each year. Leket Israel works to alleviate hunger by combating paradoxical food waste through the collection & redistr...

3/29/2013 5:36:00 PM

From farm to families in need

JERUSALEM POST - March 29, 2013. As Israel’s poor struggle to feed their families – particularly around the holidays – Leket Israel collects surplus food from restaurants, caterers, hotels and farms to distribute to the needy. Leket Israel works over many arenas to identify food waste and works tirelessly with volunteers to rescue and redistribute thousands of tons of nutritious food each year....

3/16/2013 9:31:00 PM

Food Waste in Rich Countries

GREEN PROPHET - March 10, 2013. In an article about food waste in Mid East countries, Maurice Picow discusses how regional food shortages combined with sharp increases in food prices are indicators that millions – perhaps billions of people are facing a lack of nutrients. Wasteful food production and distribution practices by both farmers and sellers of foodstuffs contribute to the problem. ...

2/10/2013 1:27:00 PM

Why do Israelis throw away half the f...

HAARETZ - Feb. 7, 2013. While one billion people worldwide are suffering from hunger, up to half of the food produced − in rich and poor countries alike − is thrown out before it reaches anyone’s plate. In a feature article about food waste, written by Haaretz's Netta Ahituv, learn what Leket Israel, Israel's National Food Bank, is doing to help combat the problem of food waste and nutritiona...

2/5/2013 11:09:00 PM

The Face of Hunger

THE FACE OF HUNGER - Jan. 30, 2013. Ray Buchanan of STOP HUNGER NOW, reposted a compelling article on the reasons to end world hunger. The article, by Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregation of the Commonwealth originally appeared in the Times of London. Buchanan says about the article, ''It is so well written and so forceful that I want to share it in it’s en...

1/27/2013 11:02:00 AM

It is a day for sharing our fruit wit...

In an inspiring article in the Times of London about fighting poverty, Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks cites a contemporary translation of a biblical imperative - ''Leket (''gleanings''), Israel's national food bank, which rescues surplus food and agriculture produce that would otherwise be destroyed from catering halls, farms and Kibbutzim, restaurants, corporate cafeterias and bakeries and distributes...

1/26/2013 7:45:00 PM

Why Fighting Poverty and Hunger Is a ...

HUFF POST - The BLOG - Jan. 26, 2013. In an inspiring blog post about fighting poverty and hunger, Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks cites a contemporary translation of a biblical imperative - ''Leket (''gleanings''), Israel's national food bank, which rescues surplus food and agricultural produce that would otherwise be destroyed from catering halls, farms and Kibbutzim, restaurants, corporate cafeteria...

1/9/2013 10:27:00 AM

Leket in the News with ''Pray with Is...

PRAY WITH ISRAEL - Jan. 6, 2013. An article about Leket Israel originally appearing on the JTA news agency's site, was recently featured on ''Pray with Israel's'' newsfeed. The site shares prayers, news, thoughts and insights about Israel, paving the way for Israel to be a positive part of people's lives.

12/23/2012 10:48:00 AM

Calling caterers and rescuing carrots...

AZ JEWISH POST- Dec. 21, 2012. “We all waste, but we hate it and we feel guilty about it,” says Joseph Gitler, Founder of Leket Israel. ''Leket’s goal is not to address the root causes of Israeli poverty but to relieve some of the financial burden on the working poor.'' Nearly one in four Israelis lives below the poverty line, but Gitler says that the numbers, however large, do not discourage h...

12/20/2012 10:47:00 PM

Jewish Federation works with Leket Is...

ST LOUIS JEWISH LIGHT - Dec. 19, 2012. ''No family should go hungry,'' says Diane Katzman, who chairs the Caring for Jews in Need-Overseas subcommittee of the Jewish Federation of St Louis. Thanks to an ongoing partnership between the Federation and Leket Israel, among other activities, 100 Yokneam families receive fresh fruits and vegetables and other perishable goods delivered to them in wee...

12/19/2012 7:28:00 PM

Collecting food for the poor

The Sussman family, ranging in ages from 2 to 69, spent two hours on a recent excursion over Chanukah picking clementines with Leket Israel. According to the family blog, ''We filled two enormous crates with clementines that would soon make it to someone’s table, and we talked to our children about the importance of giving, about poverty and about need.'' One of the Sussman's boys commented, ...

12/17/2012 4:21:00 PM

US immigrant keeps Israel’s food out ...

THE TIMES OF ISRAEL - Dec. 17, 2012. Joseph Gitler, 38, is the founder of Leket Israel, an organization that salvages unsellable crops from farmers and unused food from caterers and ships them to soup kitchens, homeless shelters and other institutions that can use them — 200 groups in all. According to Leket’s research, Gitler says the organization is on pace to rescue one-fifth of the country...

12/12/2012 10:26:00 PM

Challenges and Inspiration

RAVBLOG - Dec. 5, 2012. Rabbi Hara Person writes about his final day with the CCAR Israel trip group including a stop to Leket Israel's logistics center in Ra'anana. Rabbi Person describes how the rabbis donned rubber gloves and got to work, helping to sort surplus vegetables, pack crates, and load pallets that will head off to different community organizations the next day.

12/12/2012 12:35:00 AM

Calling caterers and rescuing carrots...

JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY - Dec. 9, 2012. JTA News Correspondent, Ben Sales, writes about his first hand exposure to the work of Leket Israel from a recent visit he made to its operations and planning center in Ra'anana. In his article, Sales explores what Leket Israel is doing to relieve some of the financial difficulties of everyday working families and those in need through the provision o...

12/11/2012 10:54:00 PM

Calling caterers and rescuing carrots...

ST LOUIS JEWISH LIGHT - Dec. 9, 2012. Leket Israel salvages unsellable crops from farmers and unused food from caterers and ships them to 200 soup kitchens, homeless shelters and other institutions that can use them. According to Leket's research, Founder, Jospeh Gitler says the organization is on pace to rescue one-fifth of the country's total wasted food this year, a total of 22 million pou...

12/9/2012 3:18:00 PM

CCAR Mission Volunteers with Leket Is...

As part of his participation with the CCAR Mission to Israel, Rabbi Danny Burkeman describes the group's visit to Leket Israel: ''We sorted through vegetables (eggplants, lettuce and tomatoes), separated them into boxes and then gathered together the boxes to fulfill the various orders they had received. It was a tangible way for us to help the poorest sectors of Israeli society, and it ws a ve...

12/5/2012 8:20:00 PM

Proportion of working poor in Israel ...

MADAN.ORG.IL - Dec. 1, 2012. According to the National Insurance Institute's annual poverty report, almost two million Israelis lived in poverty in 2011. Poverty levels among working families rose from 19.4% to 20% based on their financial incomes between 2010 and 2011. To learn more, read the full article written by Haaretz news correspondents Haim Bior, Talila Nesher, and Hila Weissberg a...

12/2/2012 6:54:00 PM

Proportion of working poor in Israel ...

HAARETZ - Nov. 30, 2012. According to the National Insurance Institute's annual poverty report, poverty levels among working families rose from 19.4% to 20% based on their financial incomes between 2010 and 2011; overall, almost two million Israelis lived in poverty in 2011. To learn more, read the full article written by Haaretz news correspondents Haim Bior, Talila Nesher, and Hila Weissberg.

11/21/2012 11:36:00 AM

Poll Shows 43% of Israelis Fear They'...

JAM NEWS - Nov. 11, 2012. In a recent Maariv poll, 43.1% of Israelis canvassed are worried about falling into poverty. An increasing number of the country's citizens cannot meet their payments and are worried about their financial situation. During a recent conference organized by Leket Israel, heads of social welfare associations recounted the difficulties they were encountering in respondin...

10/24/2012 10:19:00 AM

Israeli Food Recycling Programs Model...

JSPACE - October 23, 2012. With poverty rates soaring, it is no surprise that many people in Israel face food insecurity and hunger. But while poverty and hunger statistics may be discouraging, Leket Israel is working to address the widespread problem through its unique gleaning and food recycling programs. Thanks to Leket Israel, food that has been grown locally and would have otherwise gone...

11/26/2012 3:01:00 PM

Katif for Tikun Olam

TODAY'S ISRAEL - Fall 2012. According to Claudia Giat, Kehillat Netzach Programs Coordinator, growing awareness of nutritional poverty in Israel, prompted a group of adventurous adults and children from the Kehillat Netzach community to take part in Leket Israel's flagship project ''Gleaning the Land'', by volunteering this summer to pick vegetables for needy families. The group picked over 3 ...

11/21/2012 12:05:00 PM

They Migrated for Luxurious Life But ...

EUROPEAN PHOENIX - Nov. 10, 2012. The publication this week of the findings of a Maariv poll, conducted Nov. 1, among 491 respondents, with a sampling error of 4.5 percentage points, resulted in close to half of those canvassed indicating that they were worried about falling into poverty. According to European Phoenix, the findings of the poll should alarm all the decision makers in the State o...

11/21/2012 11:17:00 AM

Back to School with Leket Israel

The Alliance Against Hunger and Malnutrition -Dialogue Newsletter - Oct. 2012. Each school day, Leket Israel provides 7,500 sandwiches to disadvantaged school children from 110 schools in thirty cities across Israel. Most live well below the poverty line, and do not receive their basic nutritional needs from home. Read the full article as reprinted in the newsletter of The Alliance Against Hu...

11/7/2012 1:51:00 PM

Food security a problem as one-quarte...

NATIONAL POST - Nov. 6, 2012. In an article about food insecurity in Israel that has been widely picked up by media sources on the web, the Media Line's Linda Gradstein investigates the reason why a large proportion of working Israelis simply don’t have enough money for food. Many of the food insecure are minimum wage earners or part-time earners, or people who are partially disabled. As the ...

11/4/2012 10:18:00 PM

Poverty and food insecurity in Israel

THE JERUSALEM POST - Nov. 4, 2012. Working families are struggling to make ends meet and many worry where their next meal is coming from. In Israel, signifcant levels of food insecurity and lack of substantial government assistance to address the problem, has spurred the formation of hundreds of food relief NGOs in recent years. As the National Food Bank and largest food rescue NGO, Leket Israe...

11/3/2012 8:01:00 PM

Mommy I'm Hungry: Poverty and Food In...

THE MEDIA LINE - Nov. 1, 2012. Israeli government statistics say that an estimated 1/4 of all Israeli citizens, including 837,000 children, are living in poverty. Half of these poor families have no wage earner. The JDC Brookdale Institute finds that the rate of poverty among families in Israel is the second highest of the OECD countries, and almost twice the OECD average. Working families sim...

10/17/2012 7:28:00 AM

Israeli NGOs combating hunger on Worl...

THE JERUSALEM POST - Oct. 17, 2012. World Food Day, which aims to raise awareness of poverty and hunger around the world, was marked this week by Leket Israel and other Israeli NGOs. According to the National Insurance Institute, almost 11% of families in Israel experienced significant nutritional insecurity in 2011. Leket Israel was founded 9 years ago to combat food waste in the face of pov...

8/30/2012 8:28:00 PM

ICEJ Volunteers with Leket Israel

ICEJ News - Aug. 23, 2012. Taking time out from visiting Biblical sites, Arise Summer Hands-On Tour participants had a chance to help Israel's needy by volunteering with a variety of hands-on social welfare projects. One of their destinations included Leket Israel, where the group gleaned nearly a ton of fresh tomatoes from local farms fields for the needy. Thanks to the efforts of the ICJE v...

8/26/2012 7:45:00 AM

Rising Food Prices Impacts Hunger in ...

JSpace - Aug. 23rd, 2012. As food prices continue to rise, cutbacks on essential food programs loom--especially in Israel where prices have risen much faster than the West. Leket Israel's ''Sandwiches for Kids'' is one program that is being forced to cut back. Despite a waiting list of 2,500 needy school children, the organization is being forced to cut its services by 2,500 meals daily.

8/15/2012 11:47:00 AM

BakersinIsrael blog shares trip to Leket

The Baker family recently harvested pumpkins with Leket Israel on their first family trip to the country. According to family blogger and father Marc Baker, ''...it was important to us to make this chesed (volunteer) project part of our Israel experience.'' In a recent blog post, a younger Baker described the experience: “We went farming, and picked lots of pumpkins to give to people who don’t ...

8/1/2012 10:38:00 PM

Leket - The Power of Giving

In addition to writing about the charitable work of Leket Israel on her blog, freelance writer Liza Rosenberg links the Haaretz article she wrote that resulted from her meeting with Joseph Gitler, President and Founder of the organization. The article appeared in a special Haaretz magazine supplement insert, entitled ''The Power of Giving''.

7/22/2012 10:45:00 AM

Riding to Support Leket Israel

Rabbi Aaron Goldstein of Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue in London recently pedaled hundreds of miles to support Leket Israel. The 3-week long “Rabbi Relay Ride” was organized by the UK’s popular Gefiltefest and involved local Rabbis taking part in the ride, to benefit charities of their choice. Thank you Rabbi Aaron for your endurance to feed Israel’s needy!

7/22/2012 10:21:00 AM

Embedding ritual, memories

JEWISH INDEPENDENT - July 13, 2012. As Israel's premiere food-aid charity, Leket Israel was chosen as a beneficiary to receive proceeds from monies raised at Gefiltefest, a Jewish food festival that explores the historic links between religion and food. The event, held recently at the London Jewish Cultural Centre in Hampstead, treated more than 500 people to a day-long smorgasbord of worksho...

7/10/2012 12:28:00 PM

PM announces NIS 100m. food aid program

THE JERUSALEM POST - July 9, 2012. PM Netanyahu announced Monday the allocation of NIS 100m for a new food aid program, after a similar move 2 years ago was never funded. Leket Israel & Latet, Israel's 2 largest food aid agencies, in a joint statement told the J Post this step showed that the government is finally taking some responsibility to solve a problem that “until now has only been addre...

7/3/2012 3:56:00 PM

Food to the Rescue

In its July newsletter, learn how IsraelExperts collaborates with Leket Israel to rescue food. As a highly acclaimed tour operator, IsraelExperts involves its groups with vegetable picking through Leket Israel's innovative gleaning initiative. All of the produce picked by the tour groups go for immediate distribution to the needy. Throughout the years, IsraelExperts has incorporated Leket Israe...

6/28/2012 11:42:00 PM

The Idea That Feeds Millions

VIRTUAL JERUSALEM - June 27, 2012. In an exclusive article about Joseph Gitler and the organization he founded, VirtualJerusalem (VJ) interviewed Mr. Gitler to hear insights about Leket Israel's initiatives in helping the needy, their work within the Arab Israeli community and with African refugees, and to get the full story on how millions of people benefited from one man's idea.

6/19/2012 9:40:00 PM

Repair Interview: Leket Israel’s Jose...

In an interview conducted by Repair the World blogger, Leah Koenig, Leket Israel's Founder and CEO, Joseph Gitler, describes his inspiration for starting Leket Israel and the amazing impact the organization has had on Israel's food insecure. In addition, Gitler shares a couple of stories of real life people and the positive impact Leket Israel has had on their lives.

6/14/2012 11:00:00 AM

Christians Help Israel's Poor by Prac...

NATIONAL CATHOTHIC REGISTER - June 13, 2012. Leket Israel began to reach out to Christian pilgrims 5 years ago, first because of their heartfelt desire to connect with the land and also because the majority of visitors to the Holyland are Christian. Leket Israel provides food to all sectors of Israeli society, regardless of religion or ethnicity. Volunteers, either as individuals or in groups, ...

6/10/2012 6:13:00 PM

''The Narrow Door'' blog features: L...

''This organization looks amazing,'' begins a blog post featuring Leket Israel -- Food Bank Program. ''The Narrow Door'' blog, written by blogger ''Gail'', continues: ''I applaud them for what they are doing with getting fresh produce to people and healthy food to poor school children.'' Read more about what ''The Narrow Door'' has to say about Leket Israel.

6/10/2012 5:49:00 PM

June Tzedakah Box Supports Leket Israel

Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills, California, has chosen Leket Israel as their beneficiary for all Tzedakah (charity) collected during the month of June. Donations may be placed in any of the tzedakah boxes on the Beth Am campus or may be mailed to Congregation Beth Am, Attn: Tzedakah Box - Leket Israel, 26790 Arastradero Road, Los Altos Hills, CA 94022. Thank you for your support!

6/3/2012 4:05:00 PM

NBN & Leket Israel team up

NBN NEWS - June 2012. In the spirit of Shavuot, the ‘Harvest Festival’, Nefesh B'Nefesh joined up with Leket Israel, The National Food Bank, to pick vegetables for the needy. Seventy volunteers picked 800 kilos of beets, with the harvest going to feed approximately 200 families. Leket Israel thanks NBN and the olim for their great work and looks forward to welcoming them back again soon.

6/3/2012 10:38:00 AM

Leket Israel: closing the gap between...

THE JEWISH STAR - May 31, 2012. In an exclusive interview with Joseph Gitler, Founder and Chairman of Leket Israel, The Jewish Star's Malka Eisenberg writes about the country’s largest food bank and food rescue network. As part of Mr. Gitler's recent trip to NY, Gitler spoke at Beth Sholom and Young Israel of Lawrence Cedarhurst to raise awareness and funds for Leket Israel, an organization t...

6/3/2012 9:35:00 AM

Israeli food aid groups talk of strik...

JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY - May 31, 2012. According to a recent editorial in the JTA, Israeli food-aid NGOs may temporarily discontinue services to the needy if the government doesn't follow through on its promises to provide more than token support to this social welfare sector in the upcoming budget.

5/30/2012 10:13:00 AM

Food aid agencies threaten to strike

THE JERUSALEM POST - May 30, 2012. According to J Post correspondent Ruth Eglash, nonprofit organizations involved in distributing food to the country’s needy threatened to launch a public campaign in the coming days unless the government starts to address the nutritional needs of the thousands living below the poverty line. Leket Israel and Latet, Israel's two largest food aid agencies, told ...

5/29/2012 10:31:00 AM

D'var Torah - Bemidbar

In a blog post by Rabbi Billy Dreskin, Dreskin writes about his experience volunteering with Leket Israel and the importance of the sacred work the organization carries out on a day to day basis.

3/18/2012 8:43:00 PM

E-News - Spring 2012

On behalf of the staff and its dedicated network of thousands of volunteers, Leket Israel wishes you a joyous and meaningful Passover holiday. Thank you for your continued support and for helping us deliver over 220 tons of food every week to Israel's needy. Together we are preventing waste, protecting the environment, and putting a crucial source of nutrition on the plates of those who need it...

3/18/2012 2:40:00 PM

Bridging the Gap for Israel's Future

The gap in Israel between rich and poor continues to widen with 1.7 million people in poverty. Learn what Leket Israel is doing to help bridge this gap for the benefit of Israel's future.

3/16/2012 12:54:00 PM

Bridging the gap between rich and poor

JEWISH NEWS OF GREATER PHOENIX - March 16, 2012. On a recent visit to Phoenix, Joseph Gitler, founder & chairman of Leket Israel, spent time with the local Jewish community sharing the successes of the food bank he established in 2003. Joseph's concern of the growing poverty situation in Israel propelled the young entrepenuer to form Leket Israel. The organization is the recipient of grants f...

3/1/2012 2:00:00 PM

VIDEO: Leket Israel 2012 Movie

Statistics reveal that over 400,000 families in Israel suffer from nutritional insecurity, the inability due to poverty to acquire an adequate amount of food on a reliable, routine basis. Yet, at the same time, hundreds of thousands of tons of good, nutritious food are destroyed each year. A significant focus of Leket Israel's mission is to alleviate hunger by combating paradoxical food waste...

2/29/2012 1:56:00 PM

Knesset to discuss new food-aid initi...

JERUSALEM POST - Feb. 27, 2012. A new initiative designed by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia aims at instilling healthier eating habits among impoverished Israelis by creating a supermarket whereby people can come and chose the fresh fruit and vegetables that they like. The elderly or infirm will also be able to order food from home using touchscreen technology. The Knesset Cau...

2/12/2012 1:30:00 PM

Hunger in the Holyland

LILITH MAGAZINE - Winter 2011- 2012. In a column entitled ''Letter from Jerusalem: Hunger in the Holyland'', Michele Chabin writes of the struggles of Israel's poor in the face of the high cost of food, housing, and basic necessities. Quoting Joseph Gitler of Leket Israel, Chabin relates that people in Israel are experiencing a new kind of ''western-style poverty''--whereby they are forced t...

2/2/2012 12:23:00 PM

Israel Trip Explores Judaism and Soci...

NEW JERSEY JEWISH NEWS - Feb. 1, 2012. Forty college students recently spent part of their semester break exploring Jewish social justice in Israel as part of an experiential education program offered by Yeshiva University. Leket Israel, working to combat the paradox of food waste in the face of widespread poverty and hunger, was an important stop for the students as they explored and involved...

1/18/2012 10:31:00 AM

Grapevine: The Polish Connection

JERUSALEM POST - Jan. 17, 2012. In a feature article, Greer Fay Cashman writes about the ''Polish Connection'' (so to speak) of those who make their mark in Israel--coming from his or her expatriate community to serve as ambassadors for good in their new homes in Israel. Leket Israel is highlighted as one of the organization's and projects started from scratch by one of those ambassadors, Jos...

1/12/2012 1:44:00 PM

Gala dinner draws 700 supporters

PRESS RELEASE - Jan. 2012. Leket Israel's 2nd Annual Gala Dinner, held on Saturday night, January 7th at Eden Al Hamayim, honored Henry and Julia Koschitzky of Toronto. Nearly 700 people came out in support of Leket Israel's mission to reduce nutritional insecurity through the distribution of excess food to more than 60,000 needy Israelis daily. The evening, ''From the Field to the Plate – Th...

12/15/2011 11:15:00 AM

Greenwich Students Honored for Jewish...

GREENWICHTIME.COM - Dec. 14, 2011. A group of Greenwich High School students were recently honored with the Weitzman Youth Award for Jewish Philanthropy. As part of a recent 10 day service trip to Israel sponsored by the United Jewish Appeal (UJA) Federation of Greenwich, the group volunteered with a number of social service projects including gleaning oranges with Leket Israel.

11/20/2011 9:32:00 AM

Touring Israel's Food Landscape

THE JEW & THE CARROT - Nov. 16, 2011. In a blog post by Avigail Hurvitz-Prinz, Avigail details her experience last week as a participant on the Israel Sustainable Food Tour, sponsored by Hazon and the Heschel Center for Environmental Learning and Leadership. A destination on the itinerary included Leket Israel, where participants gleaned clementines and learned about the links between poverty...

11/9/2011 9:39:00 AM

Staving off Hunger - Repairing the World

YU ALUMNI NEWS - Nov. 9, 2011. In a personal interview, Joseph Gitler describes his journey to Israel after finishing his law degree and offers details of his creation of Leket Israel - now the country's national food bank and largest food rescue organization established in an amazing 8 year's time.

11/9/2011 8:03:00 AM

Making the Most of Gleaning

NY JEWISH WEEK - Nov. 8, 2011. In a feature article about Leket Israel, Michele Chabin, The Jewish Week's Israel Correspondent, writes about the organization's amazing use of volunteers in its gleaning activities coupled with its effective use of philanthropic dollars to feed the growing ranks of Israel's needy citizens.

10/24/2011 3:21:00 PM

Goldman Sachs Gives supports Leket Is...

PRESS RELEASE - Leket Israel, Israel’s National Food Bank, launched on October 16 (World Food Day 2011) a new agricultural farming Initiative supported by a $1.1 million grant awarded by Goldman Sachs Gives. The new program will allow Leket Israel to plant, grow and harvest their own fields to supplement rescued food and to better serve the 60,000 needy Israelis that the organization supports o...

10/5/2011 10:51:00 PM

Wine Club Event Draws 50 Members

New York, NY - September 21st, 2011. Leket Israel Wine Club Event in NY City's Tribeca neighborhood draws 50 supporters and wine club members. While guests were enjoying dinner and drinking exquisite Israeli wines, Joseph Gitler, Founder and Chairman of Leket Israel, spoke about the hunger and poverty issues in Israel, as well as how Leket Israel and its programs are helping alleviate Israel’...

9/14/2011 2:51:00 PM

Sandwiches for Kids: Back to School ...

Good nutrition is vital in helping children maximize their potential. Leket Israel's ''Sandwiches for Kids'' project supplies 7,500 volunteer-made sandwiches a day to underprivileged children in over 30 cities and close to 100 schools. Learn how the project is placing an emphasis on good nutrition and some tips on how you can make a difference in children's lives.

7/16/2011 11:32:00 PM

Leket Israel ensures food never goes ...

YNET NEWS.COM ACTIVISM - AUG. 6, 2010. Founded in 2003, 'National Food Bank' seeks to liberate excess nutritious food that for variety of reasons would have been thrown out by delivering it to non-profit organizations who serve Israel’s poor.

7/16/2011 11:11:00 PM

How Israel can feed more people witho...

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE - May 2011. In an exclusive interview conducted by Lee Chottiner of the Jewish Chronicle, Leket Israel's CEO, Gidi Kroch, discusses how the Israeli government can better address the nutritional needs of Israel's impoverished.

6/21/2011 4:10:00 PM

Mollie's Bat Mitzvah Chesed Project

Thiry-five Bat Mitzvah aged girls recently gathered at the home of Mollie in Englewood, NJ to celebrate Mollie's Bat Mitzvah and to participate in a unique personalized ''chesed'' project supporting the important work of Leket Israel.

6/21/2011 3:48:00 PM

Food charity threatens to quit due to...

HAARETZ - June 6, 2011. Despite announcements that the state would allocate a sum of NIS 22.5 million over the next year and a half for food distribution, the Social Affairs Ministry has determined that only NIS 6 million would be allocated for food purchases. Haaretz's Welfare and Social Services correspondent Dana Weiler-Polak explores the issue in her article entitled, ''Food charity threa...

6/21/2011 12:34:00 PM

As food prices rise, NGOs say gov’t w...

THE JERUSALEM POST - June 17, 2011. A new government initiative to tackle poverty and food insecurity is ''not even a drop in the ocean'' of what is needed according to Leket Israel CEO, Gidi Kroch. The article reports that in light of sharp increases in food prices, especially for milk products, the gov't program’s limited budget could render it ineffective.

6/15/2011 2:47:00 PM

From Farm to Table

THE JEW & THE CARROT - March 22, 2011. Ilana Krakowski reports how Leket Israel contributes to the idea of ''sustainable farming'' by redirecting crops that would otherwise be wasted to the tables of those in need.

6/15/2011 12:46:00 PM

Teen Giving: Lessons in Philanthropy

MERCER ISLAND REPORTER - June 08, 2011. Leket Israel was recently selected by a group of Jewish teens to receive a grant for rescuing and redirecting food to people in need in Israel. J. Team is a program of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle that promotes teen giving and social action for the next generation of Jewish philanthropists.

6/15/2011 12:00:00 PM

Finding Food in The Land

Daphne Price describes her family's hands-on volunteer experience picking potatoes with Project Leket. Daphne Price is a key member of the executive of the senior staff at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Washington, DC. She and her family vacation in Israel once a year.

3/1/2011 12:47:00 PM

Presentense Summer Institute Skillbui...

Presentense Summer Institute Skillbuilders. Joseph Gitler (Leket Israel Founder) is a graduate of Yeshiva University and Fordham University law school. After making aliyah in 2000, he worked for three years as director of international sales and development for a family software business. He founded Leket Israel in 2003 after witnessing significant food wastage in Israel at a time of rising pov...

2/23/2011 5:53:00 PM

Doing good with your leftover food...

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE ONLINE By Jessica Elgot, February 17, 2011 ''British families wanting to give back on holiday in Israel often work with...Leket Israel''.

12/22/2010 12:13:00 PM

Mr. Joseph Gitler - Chairman and Founder

Joseph is a graduate of Yeshiva University and Fordham University Law School. After making aliyah in 2000, he worked for 3 years as Director of Int'l Sales & Development for a family software business. He founded Leket Israel in 2003 after witnessing significant food wastage in Israel at a time of rising poverty. Joseph's vision and steady hand have led the organization from a simple, one-m...

1/10/2011 7:36:00 PM

Prepare Sandwiches for School Kids

There can be no better way to start one's morning than by performing an act of kindness for someone less fortunate. This is particularly relevant for hundreds of volunteers in the Sandwiches for Kids project as each morning they work to prepare over 7,800 sandwiches to needy school children from thoughout Israel.

12/29/2010 2:49:00 PM

Project ''Good Afternoon''

Founded in 2008, Project Good Afternoon, also known as ''Tzaharayim Tovim'', was established to meet the growing demand for in-kind donations of prepared food, especially among nonprofits struggling to provide quality food to the needy. The project matches up food establishments with local nonprofits in peripheral areas of the country. Food is picked up by local volunteers in the afternoon an...

12/22/2010 11:32:00 AM

About Us

Founded in 2003, Leket Israel serves as the country's largest food bank and food rescue network actively working to alleviate the problem of nutritional insecurity among Israel's diverse population. Help Israel's Needy - Support Israel's National Food Bank. Read on to learn more.

12/22/2010 11:30:00 AM

About Us

Founded in 2003, Leket Israel serves as the country's largest food bank and food rescue network actively working to alleviate the problem of nutritional insecurity among Israel's diverse population. Help Israel's Needy - Support Israel's National Food Bank. Read on to learn more.

12/15/2010 10:14:00 AM

Volunteer with Leket Israel

Would you like to volunteer your time and talent with Leket Israel for the benefit of Israel's needy? Endless opportunities for community service and volunteer work await you, from making sandwiches for needy school children, to gleaning fields and orchards, to rescuing excess meals. These are among the many activities you will read about below:

12/15/2010 10:03:00 AM

Sandwiches for Kids

Founded in 2006, Sandwiches for Kids enlists hundreds of volunteers to prepare and distribute over 7,800 sandwiches each school day for children from underprivileged homes in 115 schools spanning nearly 40 cities from Kiryat Shemona, Tzfat, and Tiberias in Israel's north to Be'er Sheva and Netivot in the south.

12/14/2010 5:14:00 PM

Donate Time: Volunteer with Leket Is...

Would you like to volunteer your time and talent with Leket Israel for the benefit of Israel's needy? Endless opportunities for community service and volunteer work await you, from making sandwiches for needy school children, to gleaning fields and orchards, to rescuing excess meals. These are among the many activities you will read about below: