Leket Israel is an Israeli charity that distributes surplus food to needy people.
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Leket Israel, formerly known as Table-to-Table, was founded in 2003 to distribute surplus food that would otherwise be discarded to people in need. Leket is an umbrella organization with a task force of volunteers and staff members. Over 60 tons of food per week is transferred to 180 soup kitchens, homeless shelters, senior centers and other social service organizations around Israel. Project Leket was inspired by the Bible, which states: "When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be left for the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all your undertakings." (Deuteronomy 24:19)
Programs include day retrieval from corporate cafeterias, army bases, and day time events; Night rescue from catering halls and bakeries collects approximately 6,000 surplus meals per week; Leket (Gleaning) from fields; Sandwich for kids project, and corporate partners who donate tens of thousands of perishable food items nearing their expiry dates and manufactured goods that were overproduced, packaged incorrectly, or cannot be sold commercially.
At the end of 2008, the Leket program provided fresh produce to 8,000 Israelis every day. In an average week, the organization rescues enough food for 12,000 to 14,000 meals (a protein and two side dishes) and 60 tons of produce.[1]
"I think that at a very basic level, it's a very Jewish value to be appalled by food waste," says Joseph Gitler, founder and director of Leket Israel .[2] Some farmers find it unprofitable to harvest all their produce while others cannot pick their entire crop before it begins to rot. In both cases, tens of thousands of tons of fresh fruits and vegetables are wasted each year. Israeli farmers invite Leket Israel to harvest their fields and to give the produce to needy people around the country. More than 30,000 volunteers took part in Project Leket in 2008. In addition, 20 Arab women were employed with full wages and benefits to assist in the picking. Through its activities, Leket Israel promotes the idea of peaceful co-existence. "We had an organization that had 25 employees, all Jewish, and suddenly, we have 20 Israeli-Arab employees, and it’s been a very positive experience," says Gitler.[3]
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon allowed Leket Israel volunteers to pick oranges from his 15-dunam orchard in Ramot HaShavim near Kfar Sava. He was approached by the organization after one of its scouts spotted the unharvested fruit. [4]
Researchers have found that more than one-third of Israeli children live below the poverty line. [5] Many children attend school without eating a nourishing breakfast or bringing lunch from home. In 2006, Hands on Tzedakah, a public charity based in Boca Raton, Florida, approached Leket Israel to create a program to provide school children with a minimum of one healthy meal per day. Leket Israel volunteers prepare and deliver more than 4,500 mid-morning meals to students at 70 schools around Israel. Each school day, the children receive a freshly baked roll filled with hummus, cream cheese, yellow cheese or tuna, and a fresh fruit or vegetable. "This is the kind of program that builds and brings together all segments of the community," according to Shimon Pepper, executive director of the Rockland County, New York Jewish Federation.[6]