P24
www.jewishnews.co.uk
Jewish News 30 March 2017
Passover / Giving
PASSOVER Charity
“ALL WHO ARE HUNGRY, LET THEM COME AND EAT...”
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...is part of the seder script, but when we say it, do we really mean it? Currently, 22 percent of Israelis live below the poverty line, and the charity Meir Panim (known as Manna in the UK) is at the forefront of ensuring they are not abandoned. This year, branches of Meir Panim are hosting seders in cities across Israel for those in need. In Tzfat, 90 guests are expected, while the Dimona branch will host 200. And in Or Akiva, Meir Panim has matched 250 needy individuals with local host families for seder night. Every effort is being made to ensure that all who are hungry can truly ‘come and eat’. For those who would rather celebrate in their own homes, Meir Panim is distributing more than 2,000 food shopping cards. Passover is particularly hard, with the high price of kosher for Passover food making it almost prohibitively expensive for those already in reduced circumstances. Meir Panim’s pre-loaded card, which looks like a regular credit card, gives recipients a dignified way to choose the foods and household goods they want, and then ‘pay’ just like regular customers at the till. For those unable to shop for themselves, such as elderly Holocaust survivors and the homebound, Meir Panim is delivering 2,000 holiday food baskets filled with premium items such as meat, fish and fresh produce in addition to matzah, wine and other Passover necessities. The goal of Meir Panim’s efforts is to provide the poor not only with food, but also the dignity and ability to celebrate the holiday of freedom. For more information visit mannauk.org/passover-donation-opportunity