While the country and world sat in shock and fear as Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel during the Simchat Torah holiday, Saturday, October 7th, Meir Panim staff throughout the country sprang to action.
In spite of personal chaos, children and spouses sent up to reserves, family members living in communities in the Gaza adjacent towns locked in bomb shelters fearing for their safety, each Meir Panim branch manager thought of our communities in need and victims above their own personal fears.
Already on Saturday night, as the holiday and shabbat were closing, our staff were heading into each branch and putting together plans with our networks of municipality and IDF connections meeting community needs right away.
Meir Panim sprang to action with a three part plan to help Israel even as the gruesome events played out worse than anyone could imagine.
- Each branch immediately became a collection center for goods, food and other miscellaneous items to provide to refugees fleeing the southern communities and for soldiers sent up to reserves
- We set up meals on site and for delivery for families and elderly who escaped the south and were heading to safer homes, either to friends and family or temporary relief centers
- Over 300,000 soldiers were called up to help out with the emerging war effort- men and women called out of synagogue during the holiday prayers, to meet their reserves teams and former bases. These brave fighters arrived on site more quickly than the IDF could coordinate meals and provisions, and Meir Panim was on call, providing tens of thousands of meals to our front lines as the IDF put together their supply chain plan.
Through our work year round, Meir Panim has the network of relationships in each of our communities to address issues immediately and utilized our partnerships and incredible support volunteers in order to be able to respond to this crisis right away.