Food Insecurity Increases Among Young Children, Elderly
Saturday, July 23, 2022
We Can’t Let Our Children Starve
“… for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;”
Matthew 25:35
Dear friends,
During our 28 years as an organization, Vision for Israel has always worked directly with families and children in poverty who are in need of support. Providing food for the hungry is one of our main objectives. In the last few years, we have seen an increase in the poverty rate and the number of children suffering from hunger.
When our team visited Riki for the first time we learned she was a single mother with 3 kids. She was a heavy-set woman who lost most of her hair. Her nails were broken and she was explaining that she and her kids are eating bread, pasta, and rice and that she couldn't afford to buy any nutritious food. She was explaining that she suffers from pain in parts of her body. When she opened the fridge, we saw a few slices of bread and margarine. That's when we realized that there are hundreds of thousands of people like Riki.
Nutritional insecurity is one of the hallmarks of poverty. Many people who experience poverty cannot get the proper nutrients that they need because they do not have access to healthy food sources. Hunger causes damage to both physical and mental health and can ostracize families from their communities.
Children are particularly vulnerable to the lack of nutritional food because they are still developing, and they need proper nutrients to grow. The lack of it can cause them to fall behind in their education or become excluded from their peers. The percentage of children suffering from food insecurity is particularly high among families who are falling under the poverty line. For those who receive a monthly allowance from the Israeli National Security, there is a high percentage ofArab, ultra-Orthodox families, and families receiving disability stipends.
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the situation and caused a rise in food insecurity for these communities. As a result, there has been an increase in applications for welfare aid. Charitable organizations are dealing with increased demand, and Vision for Israel is no exception.
Those families who have been supported by Vision for Israel feelthey are part of the family. We visit hundreds of families every month to keep the provision going. Each family receivesabasket with high-quality nutritional food.
As there has been an increase in poverty, we have had to increase our output. Your support of $100 to Vision for Israel, will provide an entire family with a gift card to buy food. By giving $50, we can provide a family with a food basket filled with nutritious food products.
We hope to continue to grow so that we may help as many people as possible. We trust you, our friends and supporters, to help us make a difference for the poor and hungry in Israel.
It is always a joy to know we are making a difference and we all have the opportunity to partake in it. Please donate here.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
Your friends,
Barry, Batya, and the VFI Team