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:
Leket Israel's dedicated lineup of volunteers form the backbone of the organization with hundreds of volunteers taking part daily in various projects and activities designed to assist the needy. As a result of volunteer participation in the projects, tens of tons of agricultural products, food surpluses, and perishables are rescued every day from food establishments and over 7,000 healthy and nutritious sandwiches are prepared for children from families in distress.
Leket Israel offers many opportunities and options for participation in its grassroots volunteer network. There is something for everyone. Search below for the project or activity that best matches your skills and interests.
Ways to volunteer with Leket Israel:
o Glean Fields and Orchards with Project Leket
The gleaning of fruits and vegetables from Israeli farm fields and orchards is a unique activity attracting tens of thousands of volunteers annually. Leket Israel volunteers rescue thousands of tons of agricultural crops every year that are left to rot at the end of each season. Produce is collected from hundreds of farms and packing houses around the country and is temporarily stored in refrigeration rooms of the organization. The produce is subsequently transported to hundreds of organizations serving those in need throughout the country.
Volunteering Details:
Volunteer gleaning is an activity performed by Leket Israel staff and volunteers in all areas of the country. Because of the unique characteristics of this project, please contact and coordinate the volunteer arrival places, the hours, and the number of volunteers who can come. Gleaning takes place Sunday - Thursday throughout the year.
o Rescue & Redeliver Surplus Meals
Hundreds of volunteers across the country gather each evening to rescue prepared meal surpluses from restaurants, catering companies, corporate cafeterias, banquet halls, shopping malls, bakeries and more. Fresh food is safely collected and redelivered to nonprofit organizations including soup kitchens, shelters, and community centers serving the needy.
Volunteering Details:
This project relies on volunteers to collect donated food and redeliver it to nonprofit organizations serving the needy. Volunteers are trained on-site over a period of a week so food establishments become familiar with the volunteer and the volunteer's private vehicle. For late evening pick-ups, including from celebratory banquet halls, volunteers may be asked to transfer the collected food directly to nonprofit associations and soup kitchens or to transport it to a temporary refrigerated storage room of the organization.
Volunteering is suitable for individuals or groups of up to three people in each activity. There is a need for a private car to travel to and from each food establishment and the beneficiary nonprofits. Short-term and long-term assignments are both possible, with most evening collection activities requiring about an hour and a half.o Prepare Sandwiches for School Kids
Recent reports indicate that more than one-third of Israeli children live below the poverty line; among them some 850,000 hungry children.Many of these children attend school without having eaten a nourishing breakfast, and without sufficient lunch supplies to concentrate on their studies.
Thanks to the efforts of Leket Israel's Sandwiches for Kids project, each morning hundreds of volunteers in 24 cities come together to prepare over 7,000 sandwiches for school children from economically disadvantaged homes. Sandwiches are supplemented with rescued fruit and dairy products and are also provided free of charge to those in need.
Sandwich Preparation at the Logistics Center in Ra'anana:
Serving the Sharon vicinity, the logistics center in Ra'anana is always eager to receive the assistance of volunteers with early morning sandwich preparation. Consider volunteering your time to help prepare nutritious fresh sandwiches for hundreds of underprivileged children from numerous schools in the vicinity.
Volunteering Details:
Volunteers are needed every school day, Sunday – Thursday, to prepare sandwiches between the hours of 7:00 to 8:15 a.m. and subsequently transport and distribute the sandwiches between the hours of 8:15 to 9:30 a.m.
Volunteers with private vehicles are encouraged to team-up with a volunteer passenger. Deliveries to schools can be carried out much quicker and efficiently as couples. Drivers are especially needed on a full-time on-going basis, part-time, or even on standby as needed.
o Logistics Center & Delivery Support
Leket Israel currently runs its primary logistics center in Ra'anana, with additional branches in Israel's north at Nesher and Kfar Merar. The warehouses provide temporary storage and refrigeration to inbound and outbound food provisions on a daily basis. Volunteers are welcome to provide hands-on assistance on-site at one of the warehouses, or assist Leket Israel drivers with route deliveries. On-site Logistics Center Assistance:
Volunteer work typically involves minor physical labor and includes, by way ofexample, the crating, repackaging, and preparing of various food parcels and orders to go out on the daily routes. Volunteers are welcome during the week between the hours 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Be sure to call ahead as volunteer opportunities are provided on an as needed and flexible basis according to the daily needs of the logistics center and the current number of volunteers already on-site.
Assistance with Route Deliveries:
Every morning, Leket Israel's driver's prepare to make their rounds to various food provision agencies including soup kitchens, shelters, and other nonprofits throughout the country. Volunteer work involves moderate physical labor and includes the accompaniment of the drivers as you travel the daily routes, providing assistance loading and unloading of various food products at each stop along the route. Driver accompaniment is carried out during the week between the hours of 8:00a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Volunteer opportunities with route deliveries are offered to those best suited on an as needed basis according to the daily needs of the route drivers.
o Seasonal Initiatives & Special Projects
In addition to the volunteer activities offered on a regular basis through Leket Israel's various project units, there is always a need for volunteer assistance with seasonal initiatives and special projects on an as needed basis. Examples of activities include:
Assembly of Food Packages for IDF Soldiers
Assembly of Food Packages for Needy Families
Participation in Operation "Orange Patrol"
Donations of Pro Bono, In-Kind, and Expert Assistance
Activities can be tailored to the needs or expertise of the individual volunteer. If you have professional experience and background that you would like to put to use, please contact us. Pro bono, in-kind, and expert assistance is always welcomed and appreciated.
For more information or to join our lineup of committed volunteers, please fill out our:
Or contact our office at:
+972-9-744-1757
info@leket.org
