Leket: Israel's National Food Bank promoting food rescue
A major turning point came in 2007, when hi-tech entrepreneur Gidi Kroch joined Leket upon his return from the US, bringing onboard his logistical skills.
Donating food to the needy before every Jewish holiday was a form of charity my parents cherished. Hence it was only natural for me to be drawn to Leket Israel, Israel’s National Food Bank, a registered nonprofit and the leading food rescue organization in this country.
It was started in 2003 by a young new immigrant from the US named Joseph Gitler, who was shocked at the amount of food waste he saw at weddings and other celebrations. He started to collect surplus meals from catering halls and deliver them in his car to the needy. He called it “Table to Table.” It could have easily been called “The Power of One.”
Numerous volunteers joined him within months, and his Ra’anana garage was replaced by a storage truck. A couple of years later storage points were opened in the north.