Here is an opportunity that should not be missed if you go to Israel! Sent:(Via Yahoo Groups) Tuesday, July 06, 2010 9:09 PM Cc: Deena Fielder(deena@leket.org)…Dear YI-ers:  Yehuda (our 14-yr old son) and I justreturned this AM from a wonderful week-and-a-half in Israel. One of thehighlights was volunteering for Leket Israel, "The National Food Bank". (Thank you to Rabbi Buckman who took the GHA 8th grade to this as wellon their trip in the early spring.)  A fascinating tale:  A successfuland very generous patent attorney in Israel owns many dunams of landaround Rechovot, which he pays to have planted with all types ofvegetables, but he asks that volunteers come and pick them.   Yehuda and I went from 8:00 – 10:00 a.m. last Monday morning,and we were able to pick 400 kilos of tomatoes – food that went directlyto soup kitchens and other outlets for the poor to get their vegetablesfor free.  In the summer, try to go as early as you can because it getspretty hot!  Leket Israel has volunteers who help guide you where topick and what to do. The staff was incredibly helpful in terms ofhelping to arrange it in advance.  If you are in Israel, even for ashort time, this is a must – contact Deena Fiedler cc:d above.  I wishwe had time to go back and pick more.  Tizku Le'Mitzvot! – MichaelBerger

Bnei Akiva England Group Offers Thanks (August 10, 2010) Hi Gila:  Thank you so much for arranging the Bnei Akiva England group to pick tomatoes today. They worked hard and felt great afterwards!  Kol hakovod to you and allthose at Leket.  I hope to send you more groups in the future.  Pleaselet me know when you are most in need of groups.  Kol Tuv, Ilan Osrin(Oz), World Bnei Akiva

Volunteer Tomato Picking Group Offers Thanks Dear Gila Bublick:  Thank you so much for organizing the tomato picking (gleaning) forour trip on June 21st, 2010.  All of our participants really enjoyed itand I look forward to speaking with you again later in the year to bookin for next year.  Kind Regards, Melissa Harris, Zionist Federation

Elisheva Benjamin Bat Mitzvah – Australia(Monday, July 12, 2010) "…It is a mitzvah in the land of Israel toleave the corners of your fields to poor people.  So today we didexactly that.  We went to a field and picked lots of tomatoes that willgo to people who can't afford to buy food.  We went with an organizationcalled Leket Israel http://www.leket.org/english/. Lots of the other volunteers there were Americans, we were the onlyAustralians.  We filled 4 crates in an hour and a half.  Some of themwere really squishy and yukky, but we left them in the field.  Our handsgot really dirty, but we had fun.  They gave us T-shirts afterwards. It was really, really hot and we were so sweaty afterwards. http://elishevabenjamin.blogspot.com/

Camp Micah: Picking onions as part of Project LeketJuly 9, 2010 We made it out alive from the Negev, the desert in thesouthern part of Israel and even had a great time while we were there.The desert was very hot, but also very enjoyable.  Before heading intothe Negev on Tuesday morning we…picked extra onions from a field on aKibbutz as part of Project Leket to be donated to homeless shelters andsoup kitchens around the country.  Picking onions was something most ofus had never done before, but it felt good to work outside and helpthose in need.  (By Steve Monge) http://www.campmicah.com/micah-in-israel-negev-adventure

Alexander Muss High School in Israel Headmaster's Update            July 11 – 16, 2010 (By Chaim Fischgrund)  …In the afternoon they participated in a very important community service project with Leket Israel,recently renamed as Leket Israel. It was founded in January 2003 toensure that excess food ends up at its proper destination - people inneed. Serving as Israel’s umbrella organization for “food-rescue”, Leket Israel collectsexcess, unsold food from catered events, corporate cafeterias, armybases, food manufacturers, grocers, farms, and packing houses anddelivers the food to non-profit agencies throughout Israel that servethose in need. In recent years some farmers in Israel have donatedsections of their fields or orchards. Volunteers for  Leket Israel pickthe fruit and vegetables that are donated to people in need. We arehappy to cooperate with this most worthy project. You can read moreabout  Leket Israel — now called Leket Yisrael– on its website:  www.leket.org.The group went to Kvutzat Shiller where they picked vegetables whichare then donated to various soup kitchens around the country...  http://blog.amhsi.org/?p=236

The Jewish Federations of North America: National Young Leadership Volunteers at Leket (July9, 2010) …The next day we saw Federation’s role in Israel first-hand bygetting to volunteer with one of our partner agencies. My bus, from NewYork, picked and gathered vegetables for those in need with aUJA-Federation of New York-funded program—Leket Israel, Israel'sNational Food Bank—which was an opportunity, in a very hands-on way, toput into action our Jewish values of caring for those in need.  http://www.jewishfederations.org/page.aspx?id=223411

College Blog: AEP chooses Leket Israel for truck donation (August 6, 2010) http://readytoroddy.blogspot.com/2010/08/giving-back.html…we'regoing to get a truck for Leket, which will feed 3000 families a day inIsrael- which has a lot more poverty, Jewish and Arab, then you think…

Baltimore Concert: Some proceeds to Leket Israel (July 25, 2010) http://tiferesyisroel.org/ArchiveLev/lev_2010-07-22_22-22-39.pdf Unity Through Harmony: A Tu B’av Concert by Ayelet HaShachar.  Alloriginal music for women. 7:30 p.m. Storch clubhouse, 3209 FallstaffRoad. Tickets $10 adults, $5 students. For sponsorships, call LisaFriedman 410-764-8627. Concert in memory of Dina Blaustein, a”h. Aportion of the proceeds will be donated to Leket Israel (www.leket.org).

Achoteinu Camp Tours Israel ...Chabad teen girls from around the world enjoyed an inspiring,educational and fun month in Israel with Camp Achoteinu.  The girlsreally enjoyed the hands-on activities focused on helping others andIsrael," said Mrs. Sarah Alevsky, who chaperoned the trip with herhusband Rabbi Chayim B. Alevsky, shluchim at Chabad of the West Side. We picked vegetables for soup kitchens in the farm fields for LeketIsrael. http://www.collive.com/show_news.rtx?id=10191&alias=achoteinu-camp-tours-israel

Gleaning in Israel – The NY Jewish Week(July 27, 2010 by Comment Judy Sigal) ...Concerning Stewart Ain’sarticle, “Feeding Israel’s Have-Nots” (June 4, A N.Y. Minute), we wererecently in Israel for a bar mitzvah celebration for my nephew, MenachemLafazan (front row, left in photo). The chesed project for the trip wasto help pick vegetables at the Leket Israel farm. According to ourguide our group of 15 literally picked a ton of onions that day. It wasan amazing experience knowing that this food would be on somebody’stable within a few days. Our group ranged in age from 3 to over 70 andwe all agreed to try to do this again when we visited Israel... http://www.thejewishweek.com/editorial_opinion/letters/gleaning_israel

Kehilat Hadar - Money collected for Leket on Tisha B'Av Posted on July 13, 2010 Date: July 19, 2010 - 8:45pm Location: 122ndand Broadway, The Jewish Theological Seminary Join Kehilat Hadar forMaariv and a reading of Eicha on Monday evening, July 19, at 8:45 p.m.in the Beit Midrash of the Jewish Theological Seminary (122nd andBroadway).  Please bring a picture ID and arrive 20 minutes early, toallow extra time to get through security.  Please bring a flashlight (nocandles), a siddur and, if possible, a copy of Eicha.  Halakhic Note:As a sign of mourning, it is customary not to greet people on Tisha B'Av- please take no offense.  We will be collecting tzedakah to supportNYC Coalition Against Hunger (http://www.nyccah.org/) and Leket Israel  (http://www.leket.org/english/) http://www.kehilathadar.org/tisha-bav-maariv-and-eicha-reading

Leket Israel: Partner of the Greensboro Jewish Federation(2010) Our Partners  …The Greensboro Jewish Federation provides fundsto improve the lives of millions worldwide. The Federation partners withnational and international organizations…http://www.shalomgreensboro.org/page.aspx?id=223535

Arrivals:  Mia Urman, JPost.com, Café Oleh, Café Talk(July 2, 2010) “We decided that instead of paying for advertising, wewould rely on word of mouth and give some of the money that we would bepaying for marketing to charity,” Urman says. This year, the company issupporting the Leket charity. It encourages the couples to give anyleftover food from the wedding to Leket, and also to donate any smallamounts of cash they have left on their registry to the charity. Inaddition, if a couple registers and says they heard of the site throughLeket, Hope I Get donates 30 percent of the profits from the registry tothe charity. http://www.jpost.com/CafeOleh/CafeTalk/Article.aspx?id=180137

Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City, From the Desk of Todd Stettner,May 7, 2010  "Stacey Belzer… also mentioned an Israeli partner, Leket,that deals with hunger in Israel.  When she cited that nearly onequarter of children in Israel live below the poverty line, there was anaudible gasp in the room…" http://www.jewishkansascity.org

As projected, Federation campaign ends down, JTNews.net(The Voice of Jewish Washington), July 8, 2010. Only two agencyreceived increases in allocations: One, Leket Israel, gleans producefrom farms and gives it to Israeli food banks and soup kitchens. http://www.jtnews.net/index.php?/news/item/7608/C22

Jewish Federation Announces Nearly 10 million for the Jewish Community  July8, 2010.  www.jewishinseatle.org.  Jewish Federation of Greater Seattletalks about Leket Israel donation: ...Our international givingincreased by 0.7%, while local agency allocations decreased 16.7%. Thetwo agencies that received slight increases were the Jewish Federationsof North America (which comprises our overseas allocations to theAmerican Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and Jewish Agency forIsrael) and Leket Israel. http://www.jewishinseattle.org/news-events/news/jewish-federation-announces-nearly-10-million-jewish-community

 Bess & Paul Sigel Hebrew Academy, ISRAEL TRIP BLOG, By Rabbi Jaffee in IsraelTrip 2010 (April 28, 2010) …Some people don’t even have enough money toput food on their table. Our next activity involved just that. We endedup in the small town of Rehovot, on the farm of a patent lawyer, SandyKholb. This man is a great tzaddik and gives all the fruits of hisenormous farm to be picked for tzedakkah by a large organization. Wewere able to help in the picking of the fruits to distribute to needyfamilies on a later date. This particular organization is known as LeketYisrael. They distribute throughout Israel.  After getting to the farm,it was lunchtime, so we sat down to a nice boxed lunch of delisandwiches. After finishing our meal, we went to help pick. Thespecialty of the day was clementines. We not only got to pick the fruit,but also got to taste it, and boy, were the clementines sweet! Afterall the picking, we successfully collected about ten bushels. We were sohelpful that before we left, we each received a Leket Yisrael T-shirt. http://sigelacademy.org/israeltrip/israel-trip-2010-day-9-salvage-dig-ammunition-hill-finding-time-capsule-leket-yisroel-bar-kochba-caves-kfar-ayalim/israel-trip-2010-day-9-salvage-dig-ammunition-hill-finding-time-capsule-leket-yisroel-bar-kochba-caves-kfar-ayalim

Koshereye.com, Offer a helping Hand in Israel by Michael Berger, July 2010  "Asuccessful, and very generous, attorney in Israel owns many dunams ofland around Rehovot, which he pays to have planted with all types ofvegetables, but he asks that volunteers come and pick them. After theyare harvested, the vegetables go directly to soup kitchens and otheroutlets for the poor. Leket Israel has volunteers who help guide youwhere to pick, and what to do.  The staff is helpful in terms ofarranging it in advance. If you are in Israel, even for a short time,this is a must – contact Deena Fiedler at deena@leket.org. Please visit their website, Leket Israel formore information.  KosherEye thanks a prominent Atlanta rabbi,  formaking us aware of this wonderful mitzvah opportunity."  http://koshereye.com/koshereye-exchange/457-offer-a-helping-hand-in-israel

Presentense Summer Institute Skillbuilders. Joseph Gitler (Leket Israel Founder) is a graduate of YeshivaUniversity and Fordham University law school. After making aliyah in2000, he worked for three years as director of international sales anddevelopment for a family software business. He founded Leket Israel  in2003 after witnessing significant food wastage in Israel at a time ofrising poverty. Joseph's vision and steady hand have led theorganization from a simple, one-man operation to Israel's largest foodrescue organization. He is married to Leelah, has four children andenjoys biking, traveling and spending time with his kids. http://presentense.org/institute/skillbuilders

 New York Jewish Environmental Bike Ride  Donation Page of Andrea Newman"...As in the past few years, I will be joining over 200 riders overLabor Day weekend, in Hazon’s 10th Annual Jewish Environmental BikeRide! And this year, I have been asked to co-chair the event. Hazonmeans a lot to me as it is making great strides toward improving theworld around us.  Here are just some successes that were generated bysupport of past Hazon Ride...Leket Israel has been able to collect over100 tons of food a week from restaurants to distribute to those inneed. 

Boston Jewish Community Women's Fund Grants to Programs in Israel (May 2010) Leket - $15,000
Project:The Leket Work Program:  Leket is a food bank that addressesnutritional insecurity throughout Israel, collecting surplus food anddistributing it through the Israel Food Bank. The work program is anagricultural gleaning initiative that collects produce left in fieldsand orchards at the end of the season’s harvest. It provides 20 seasonalfarm laborers, all Arab Israeli women, with fair working conditionsincluding above minimum wages and full benefits. Produce is distributedto needy Israelis through homeless shelters, battered women’s shelters,community centers for the elderly and programs for children at risk.  http://bjcwfnews.blogspot.com/search?q=leket

Bornblum Solomon Schecter School Memphis:  Israel Trip 2010 Blog (May 7, 2010)  "...Inthe morning, we traveled to an agricultural Kibbutz, where we collectedalmost one ton of beets and packed them in crates, ready to bedelivered to families in need, by the LEKET ISRAEL organization. DenaFrisch, Rebecca and Gali collected over fifteen crates and broke all records, fulfilling this Mitzvah passionately."  http://www.bsssmemphis.com

Hasten Hebrew Academy of Indianapolis:  "Shabbat Shalom" Newsletter - Page 5 (April 30, 2010) "...WHY ARE OUR 8th GRADERS PICKING POTATOES?  Mrs. GettingerExplains:  Our school became aware of the Tzedakah M'ShulchanL'Shulchan  through the Hasten family.  It is a10-year charity similiar to Second Helpings which has volunteerscollecting leftover food from catered events / simchot as well as a"gleaning" project in fulfillment of the Biblical commandment of "leket"(the charity is actually now renamed "Leket Israel").  Volunteers go tofarms all over the country to help harvest, pick fruits/ vegetableswhich are surplus or slightly bruisedand unable to be sold tosupermarkets, to feed thousands of poor people daily throughout thecountry.  Our HHAI group was invited to a farm near Rechovot to helpgather potatoes near the ground that were left after the combines hadgone through the fields.  Despite the heat and our small numbers, wepicked a half a ton of potatoes! http://www.hhai.org/education