Tell us about those in need

School teachers are an exceptionally trustworthy source of information when it comes to the children in their charge, and a call recently made to me proves this point.

The concerned teacher of a child in her class and her older brother witnessed the children coming to school with just a slice of bread and, occasionally, a piece of fruit to last the entire school day. The teacher reached out to find out if Yad Aharon could step in to remedy the problem.

The single mother of two was going through a painful divorce. As a result of COVID-19, her salary had been halved, which made it impossible for her to feed her children adequately. When the teacher approached her, she agreed to receive help from Yad Aharon. She watched in disbelief as her first fresh-produce food parcel was loaded into her car, together with a kiddies school lunch box (Ohr Natanel) filled with treats. At this point, she could no longer hold back her tears.

In addition, she and her children loved the nutritious meal from the soup kitchen. Last but not least, they were taken to Pre-Loved by Yad, where they could choose warm clothing.

A short while later, the teacher called Yad Aharon to report on the difference in the general well-being of these children. They came to school warmly dressed, were much more active on the playground and, whereas they previously sat on the sidelines during break, they now also had lunch treats to enjoy with their peers.

It didn’t take this mom long to develop a sense of belonging to the Yaddies family. “The tears I shed at our first meeting were tears of relief that I would no longer travel this road alone. I’m so grateful to my daughter’s teacher for introducing me to this unbelievable organisation, which has embraced my family and answered our prayers,” she said.

Until a few years ago, the number of families receiving food assistance from Yad Aharon was such that Yad could rely on its own knowledge of the needs of existing beneficiaries and new applicants. However, the longstanding economic crisis exacerbated by the devastating effects of COVID-19 has resulted in unprecedented growth in need to the point that Yad now relies on community members to share important information about any family who may require food assistance.

I find this spirit of working together to address hunger empowering and effective, and it brings to our attention desperate families who may have otherwise fallen through the cracks. You are our eyes in the community, and we need your assistance more than ever in our joint endeavour to follow the Torah principle, “When you save a life, you save a world!”