Leket Israel – Israel’s non-profit national food-rescue organization – is adapting its operations and implementing special measures to tackle food insecurity and provide immediate support to hundreds of thousands of people during the current state of emergency created by the war with Iran.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of October 7 provided Leket Israel with valuable experience in operating under restrictive conditions during times of crisis, enabling the organization to mobilize quickly and help civilians on the home front.
By actively assessing and mapping food insecurity in real time together with its nonprofit and municipal partners, Leket is responding to the evolving needs of the crisis, ensuring the continued delivery of essential, nutritious food to both existing recipients and those newly in need.
Currently, Leket Israel is unable to conduct its regular produce or meal rescue operations due to the risks involved in traveling to farms, packing houses, hotels, and IDF army bases. As a result, a total of NIS 4 million has been allocated specifically for buying produce and cooked meals that will be distributed to vulnerable residents of all backgrounds and faiths.
It has 100,000 volunteers who, in ordinary times, collect in an average year 31,000 tons of produce, deliver two million hot meals, and feed 415,000 recipients.
Joseph Gitler, the founder and chairman of the 22-year-old organization, told The Jerusalem Post in an interview that “now we’re buying meals and produce from suppliers instead of collecting uneaten foods so they don’t go to waste. We are working with catering companies to deliver the meals to our partners, in the municipalities, soup kitchens, after-school facilities, and more. Most of the regular sources we have are not functioning because they don’t have enough volunteers and no proper shelters.”
He added that “if we had spoken last Thursday, I would have said that we were 90% back to normal, after the attack on Iran, we are far from it. We are trying to provide one nutritious meat, chicken, fish, or vegetarian meal to the needy once a day. We want it to go on as long as such purchased meals are needed, but it’s a big financial commitment for us. Instead of spending $1 on a meal of collected food, it costs $7 for purchased meals. So we need more donations. The early summer is the best time for Leket, as crops are ready for collecting; the heat of August has a bad impact on farms.”
Focus on those who can't leave their homes
A major focus is on the elderly who can’t or shouldn’t leave home now. “The ultra-Orthodox and Beduin sectors are most in need, but we work with everybody. We were asked by partners in Tamra, where five members of one family who came from Ukraine for cancer treatment for their daughter, were all killed by an Iranian ballistic missile. Some communities are poor but have support from others, Gitler said. “We are ramping up as much as we can,” Gitler noted.
“Survivors of attacks whose homes were destroyed are sent to hotels or go to their families, but while this is the government’s job, we don’t know how long this will last.”
Another example of how Leket Israel is adapting is the changes it has made to Leket Express, one of its core produce distribution programs, to comply with Home Front Command guidelines and the current reality.
The project, which involves a mobile truck distributing fresh produce in market-style popups, has been restructured to ensure safety and efficiency. Instead of bulk market-style distribution, recipients will now receive pre-packaged boxes of assorted fruit and vegetables, allowing them to access healthy food while avoiding large gatherings.
The organization’s director-general, Gidi Kroch, added that “the uncertainty is immense, and no one knows when the fighting will end or how it will evolve. But amid all this uncertainty, there is one thing we at Leket Israel can guarantee: our operations will continue uninterrupted. Under any conditions, in any way. Our logistics center, trucks, offices, and work in the field have not stopped.