Picture from Ezer Mizion summer camp
Meitarim’s Israel Center for Community Involvement (ICCI) has been providing assistance to thousands of families, with a special concern for immigrants, throughout Israel for over 15 years. ICCI partners with organizations including Israeli farms and businesses to donate or provide items (including food, medical equipment, school supplies and winter clothing) at a subsidized price. This project would not be possible without the generous support of Help Jews Home.
ICCI is able to leverage its relationships in order to increase the impact of its relatively small budget by many multiples. Through relationships and partnerships with organizations like packaging and dry goods factories, farms and agricultural centers – ICCI is able to collect supplies and then distribute and allot certain materials to different partner organizations that assist in distribution to poor and needy families. Many volunteers help with the collection and distribution. The volunteers consist of students and staff of Meitarim's network of educational institutions. Local police and firefighters also volunteer on a regular basis and soldiers occasionally provide their time.
Over 2021, ICCI provided food and assistance to thousands of needy families on a regular basis – from cities like Sderot, Dimona and Yeruham in the south to Jerusalem in the center and Netanya and Hadera in the north. ICCI provided more than 40 tons of products each and every week to ICCI’s partner organizations for distribution to local families. In addition, during the major holiday weeks of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Passover, we increase the amount of supplies we provide to about 150 tons.
Chesed Center in Kiryat Malachi
Over 30 years ago, Nicole Gilby’s only son was killed in a car accident. In order to honor his memory, Nicole created the Chesed Center in Kiryat Malachi with the help of the City of Kiryat Malachi. Since then, Nicole and a group of volunteers have been helping Kiryat Malachi’s residents by providing fresh produce, meat, household goods and baby supplies (e.g. baby formula and diapers) on a daily basis. Watch a tour of the center.
Approximately 41% of Kiryat Malachi’s residents are immigrants (up from 14.5% in 1990), mostly from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopian. The city also has a low socioeconomic index, ranking 81st out of 255. Through the Chesed Center, which receives regular support from ICCI, 400 families receive support every week and over 1,000 families during the holidays (Rosh HaShanah, Passover, etc.).
Partnership with Ezer Mizion
Ezer Mizion is an Israeli organization that provides medical and social support for those going through health issues – such as those with cancer as well as the disabled or elderly. This includes providing meals for those in the hospital, support for caregivers, activities for families and children – such as a summer camp for children with special needs. ICCI has an ongoing partnership with Ezer Mizion to provide them fresh fruits, vegetables and other staples from farms and factories collected by ICCI and distributed to Ezer Mizion.
