Over three days, 1,597 deals were sold resulting in $17,567 raised for Meir Panim. This was jdeal’s largest deal since their launch in November 2010.
The deal which ran from Friday, March 18th through Sunday, March 20th was to spend $5.50 and feed two hungry children in Israel instead of just one. As a result of a matching donor, the value of each purchase was worth double the amount or $11. Additionally, 100 percent of the profits from the deal go to Meir Panim.
“The partnership between Jdeal and Meir Panim is an exciting and innovative way to engage new donors,” said David Birnbaum, Executive Director of American Friends of Meir Panim. “This was a very enticing offer because it made buyers feel like they were getting more for their money and therefore increased the value of their gift while also fulfilling the mitzvah of giving “matanot l’evyonim” or “gifts to the poor” at the same time.”
According to the November 2010 Israel National Insurance Institute Poverty Report, over 1.7 million Israelis suffer from hunger and two out of every five children are living below the poverty line. Additionally, 15,000 families joined the circle of poverty in 2009, which affected more than 120,000 people living in Israel. “Meir Panim is addressing the basic human need of feeding hungry children and families with dignity,” said Birnbaum. “With 25 percent of the Israeli population living below the poverty line, food insecurity is a real problem that is causing so many of our fellow Jews major difficulty.”
According to Jodi Samuels, co-founder of jdeal, the promotion was timed to coincide with Purim because of the mitzvah to give “matanot l’evyonim” or “gifts to the poor.”“We were looking for a high-impact program that would generate a lot of excitement among the jdeal community,” said Samuels. “AFMP has a nationwide following so they were a natural fit and their mission to feed hungry children in Israel was a great opportunity to allow jdeal to help others fulfill a mitzvah. “
As a result of the successful relationship between AFMP and jdeal, AFMP has attracted a new donor base which will help to feed hundreds of Israelis living in poverty. In the future, AFMP and jdeal will work together to develop joint opportunities to raise money and build awareness for Meir Panim’s mission. To check out the next Meir Panim jdeal to go to www.jdeal.com.
