A Hot Meal That Feels Like Home

For many students in need across Israel, lunch at school is the one hot meal they can count on all day. Those meals come from Leket, a Mayberg partner that rescues surplus food and delivers it to all types of people in need across Israel.

On October 7, Rising Trustees Yacova Mayberg Margolis and Chai Margolis joined Program Officer, Israel Zohar Hahn-Brafman for Leket Live, a field tour that followed rescued food from pickup all the way to the plate of student’s in need. Along the way, they rolled up their sleeves and helped prepare frozen emergency meals that Leket keeps ready for times of crisis in Israel.

The most powerful part of the day came at the end, listening to the students themselves. Many come from families facing real hardship. They spoke about what it means to sit down and eat together, and about the quality of what's served. The food arrives warm and tastes like something made at home, even though it started as surplus. Several students said the shared meal makes school itself feel more like home. Students are one part of Leket’s reach, which extends to people of every age in need throughout Israel.

October 7 is a day of deep grief and remembrance in Israel, and it was a fitting day to see Leket's work up close. Every day, Leket turns food that would otherwise go to waste into nourishing meals for people in the most need. On a day that calls for strength, these students and the program that feeds them are a living picture of Israel's resilience. Leket shows how a community can care for its own, one warm meal at a time.

As Yacova and Chai shared:

“Although we have supported Leket’s work for years, I hadn’t fully appreciated the scale and complexity of its operations... We visited a vocational high school where Leket provides daily hot meals. For some students, this is the only hot meal they will eat all day... Taking part on October 7 felt especially meaningful. Alongside remembering and honoring the significance of the day, we were contributing to building a more connected and socially responsible Israel.”

Thank you to Leket for welcoming us and to the students who shared their stories.