Modi'in charitable initiative feeds families while supporting businesses
With the charity, the benefactors and the families supported being local, the initiative serves a symbol of togetherness within the Modi'in community.
By ZACHARY KEYSERFeed a Family supports both families and restaurants in need amid coronavirus.(photo credit: Courtesy)
Modi'in-based charity "Feed a Family" has been working diligently to feed families who have found themselves down on hard times amid the coronavirus pandemic.Feed a Family provides food packaging services to struggling families in Modi'in - made possible through the donations by Modi'in residents who sponsor the initiative for their struggling neighbors.With the charity, the benefactors and the families supported being local, the initiative serves a symbol of togetherness within the Modi'in community.Since the onset of the pandemic, the eight-year-old initiative and its volunteers have kicked their efforts into high gear, following the influx of new families in need of its services.Now, within the thick of the pandemic, the charity sponsors the meals of up to 110 families living in Modi'in, once a month.Recently, the charity has also upped its reach within the city, partnering with struggling restaurants to feed struggling families through its "Double Your Mitzvah" program, which attempts to create a mutually beneficial relationship for all parties involved."I heard of a number of restaurants in the city that were struggling because of corona, and really on the verge of closing," said Daniela Hellerstein, a volunteer with Feed a Family. "The idea was to have the donors who are already very involved in this project that donate money regularly, to ask the donors to sponsor a meal from a restaurant that would go to a needy family.While Feed a Family partners with a number of restaurants and catering companies, one pizza shop stood out from the pack notably because it belongs to the father of one of the victims who drowned in a flooded elevator in Tel Aviv this time last year.The idea caught on quickly and gained a lot of traction throughout the community.Normally the charity raises around NIS 20,000 a month to provide food packages to families in need - it's marquee program. For the pizzas alone, the charity raised NIS 4,000 - providing around 115 pies to 55 families around the city, while supporting the bereaved father's business.The flagship program was founded to help support two causes at once, as more and more families fall into poverty each day.The initiative sponsoring the families and the Ken L'Pizza shop was the third Double Your Mitzvah campaign run by the Feed a Family charity. Previously, it sponsored campaigns to assist caterers in the city who prepare Shabbat food for needy families.According to Feed a Family founder Rebecca Hockley, the families are chosen through referrals, rabbis and the welfare system, who are then partnered with the charity."Unfortunately, we have had about a hundred people come in since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic," said Hockley.Many of them are, "out of work, and have fallen on hard times. Usually it's done with 50-60 families, especially during the [holidays], since corona, we have nearly 100-110 families a month."Hockley and Hellerstein noted they are looking to the future, hoping that cities across Israel will follow in Modi'in's footsteps and begin providing programs such as these to families in need across the country.You can email the organization at this address - modiinfeedafamily@gmail.com You can donate here >>> https://secure.cardcom.solutions/u/JNZ/?languages=enYou can find them on Facebook here>>> https://www.facebook.com/feedafamilymodiinDonation
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