On a recent Thursday afternoon, as our Or Akiva branch manager Ilanit Hafuta was closing up the branch for the weekend she received an unexpected call. A dedicated volunteer of Meir Panim called and shared that one of her neighbors was just completely down on their luck and had nothing to provide for their family. After several challenging months, they had exhausted their savings and connections and had another week to go until their unemployment funds would renew. They were simply out of options and out of ideas.

While Meir Panim can not help every struggling family we certainly try, and for this family, Ilanit and a couple of amazing volunteers were able to head over to the grocery store and secure a donation in addition to providing nutritious, home-cooked meals to get this family through the week.

This act of kindness, this helping hand, providing this family with essential goods – and now welcoming them into the Meir Panim “family” to utilize our services and knowledge of additional government resources is what Meir Panim is all about! They were overwhelmed by the quick response and were able to take care of their young children with dignity and respect.

While we hope this family can make ends meet and get back on their feet soon, we are happy that they can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Meir Panim is here for them until that becomes their reality.