‘We never sit still,” says Maya Azoulay, vice president of resource development at Leket Israel, the country’s leading food rescue organization. “At Leket Israel, we are always bringing new solutions and new projects to help people.”
For Azoulay, who has been with the organization since 2015, Leket Israel’s combination of collaboration, innovation, and action makes it special.
Leket Israel harvests surplus agricultural produce, collects cooked meals, and sorts and distributes them to the needy throughout the country. In 2025, the organization distributed 33,975 tons of food through nonprofit partner agencies that deliver it to Israelis in need every week. Leket Israel’s sole focus is rescuing healthful surplus food and delivering it to those in need through partner nonprofit organizations. In 2025, Leket Israel enabled the rescue and purchase of 32,049 metric tons (70.6 million lbs.) of fresh produce from 700 farms and packing houses, and the rescue and purchase of 2.2 million hot meals from 104 suppliers.
Before joining Leket Israel, Azoulay served as the director of communications for the Defense Ministry at the Israeli Mission to the US in New York, and later worked in sales and marketing in a leading communications company in the Israeli hi-tech sector. “I was looking for something different,” she explains. “I wanted to make an impact and do something meaningful. What attracted me was the ability to do good within the business sector.”
Interestingly, 46% of the Leket Israel staff, ranging from logistics workers to members of its executive staff, are women. Logistics – sourcing, collecting, and transporting surplus food to where it is needed is crucial. Azoulay praises Leket Israel CEO Gidi Kroch and says that he provides everyone with equal opportunities, regardless of gender, in all areas of Leket Israel’s activities. She adds that women are traditionally well represented in philanthropy, attributing this to their strong beliefs. “In fundraising, being a woman is an advantage,” explains Azoulay. “We are very passionate. This is a sector where you need a lot of passion and belief to make people want to join you.”
Returning to the theme of collaboration and innovation, Azoulay says that Leket Israel’s ability to pay attention to what is happening on the ground, both with the population it serves and how it works with organizations, is crucial.
“On October 6, 2023, she says, “we were providing food for 234,000 people. Today, we serve 470,00 people. We are not only growing in the number of people we feed and the amount of food we provide, but we are also doing it in different ways. We listen to their needs and find creative ways to feed people. We look at the population as a whole.
We believe in cooperation with organizations, private individuals, and companies. Everyone can do something to help make a better society.”
Citing just one example of Leket Israel’s ingenuity, Azoulay explains that occasionally the vegetables they receive, while fresh and healthful, may be bruised and misshapen and not visually appealing. “It is very important to be respectful to our recipients, and the food must look good,” she says. To solve this problem, Leket Israel is now working with a company that takes bruised vegetables and makes soup from them for the elderly, who are frequently unable to prepare their own food. In the last year alone, one million units of soup have been supplied to the elderly through this program. Leket Israel will soon expand the program to prepare steamed vegetables and cooked salads from blemished produce.
As VP of resource development in Israel, Azoulay is responsible for devising and implementing fundraising strategies. She says that the most crucial skill necessary in her work is maintaining good relations with donors by paying attention to what they say. “You have to have a great relationship with them,” she notes. “You must share the same values, and the most important part of the relationship is listening. In the end, you have to listen to the person in front of you, and you have to hear what their values and needs are.”
In her job, Azoulay works with both Israelis and members of the American Jewish community. She points out some of the differences, noting that “the Americans can teach the Israeli sector the value and spirit of giving,” while adding that “Israelis can teach the value of civil society and volunteering.” Azoulay says that since the war with Iran started, there has been a surge in giving from those who are living abroad who want to help Israel.
Azoulay says that the Leket Israel leadership team met via Zoom on Saturday evening, February 28, the first night of the war, to discuss how they needed to adapt to the changing situation on the ground.
She explains how Leket Israel has stayed ahead of the curve in the current Israel-Iran war to enable food supplies to reach those in need. “Each week, we provide food for 470,000 people throughout Israel, through more than 300 small nonprofit organizations. All the food we rescue is delivered to those nonprofits, and recipients then come to the small nonprofits to receive their food. Currently, not all small nonprofits are open because some have no shelters. We want to help those recipients whose nonprofits are closed. To solve this problem, we are providing NIS 500 food coupons for those who are not receiving food from the closed nonprofit organizations. They use these coupons at their local supermarket.”
46% of the Leket Israel staff, ranging from logistics workers to executive staff, are women
Another issue Leket Israel is dealing with is a shortage of donated food due to the war. Army bases, which usually have a surplus that they donate to the organization, are currently using most of their food. To address this shortage, Leket Israel has launched a new program to purchase food and prepared meals so it can continue to provide for those in need.
Azoulay points out that the cost of living in Israel has increased since the beginning of the war, and many people need assistance. “Many people need help, and we are trying to do our best to serve anyone who needs food security. We also rescue food, focusing on the rescue of healthy food for those in need. We will continue to listen to the needs on the ground and in the community. The needs are growing, and we must grow in our fundraising. We have to be moving constantly. We can’t sit still.”
What are Azoulay’s wishes for the future of Leket Israel? “I wish we could rescue all the fruit and vegetables and cooked meals so that nothing would go to waste to bring to those in need.” Her fondest wish is for a future when people will have enough to sustain themselves and will no longer need Leket Israel. Until that time comes, Azoulay will continue to listen attentively to donors and help raise awareness about the need for Leket Israel.
Concluding, she says, “We invite your readership to partner with us, visit us, and get involved in our mission.”
This article was written in cooperation with Leket Israel.