Hazon Yeshaya Institutions

Hazon Yeshaya Humanitarian Network is an Israeli charity organisation which runs soup kitchens throughout Israel.

Hazon Yeshaya was founded in 1997 by retired businessman Abraham Israel, of New York City, New York. It started out as a "small kitchen to serve 17 starving Jerusalem residents" but its responsibilities soon snowballed into providing more than 14,00 hot meals each day, over 400,000 each month at over 60 distribution points throughout Israel. Abraham is a full time volunteer, receiving no salary for his efforts. With hundreds of volunteers throughout Israel, Hazon Yeshaya maintains a mere 3% overhead.

As part of its activities, Hazon Yeshaya identifies and documents survivors of the Shoah, many of them impoverished. Currently the organization maintains a registry of some 15,000 names from more than a dozen countries. 3,800 survivors already receive hot daily meals from Hazon Yeshaya through Project Reach Out. Additionally, Hazon Yeshaya distributes staple food packages and hot meals to some 5,000 individuals who are registered.

Israeli school officials often notice that some children sit in school lunch rooms watching their better off friends eat. The school officials identify and document the kids as coming from impoverished families. Hazon Yeshaya steps in to assist. 70% of Hazon Yeshaya's hot, nutritious meals are thus distributed to school children in school lunch programs and afternoon extended school programs.

Hazon Yeshaya also runs free Dental Clinics available to all of its registered clients, young and old. It also offers free vocational training to the unemployed, working age adults, including single mothers, battered wives and new immigrants. Hundreds have already studied Hairdressing, Barbering, Cosmetics, Computer Skills and Secretarial Skills. Hazon Yshaya assists the graduates in finding jobs so that they can feed their families with dignity and stop coming to the Soup Kitchens for food assistance.

For the working poor, Hazon Yeshaya runs free Day Care Centers where the youngsters receive expert care and two meals a day while their parents try to earn a living. Free clothing and shoes are distributed to the needy. And, Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations are organized and paid for by Hazon Yeshaya for orphans and kids from broken homes.

References

[http://www.hazonyeshaya.org/ Hazon Yeshaya Humanitarian Network]