Meir Panim has dealt with many obstacles throughout the course of the pandemic. The demand for meals has tripled, surplus food from hotels and event halls are no longer being donated and above all, Meir Panim’s Restaurant-Style Soup Kitchens have been unable to serve as a center for clients to connect with our staff and volunteers as they sit down for a much needed meal.
So how does an organization dedicated to feeding Israel’s impoverished handle the overwhelming demand for meals in the wake of a pandemic?
According to Mimi Rozmaryn, Director of Global Development, there are three main changes that Meir Panim has undertaken. “The first one is, all of our Restaurant-Style Soup Kitchens changed to takeaway meals,” said Rozmaryn. “Each of our clients can come to the restaurant and receive a tray of food, sealed and ready to take home. The second thing we are doing is that we have an increase of Meals-on-Wheels. The third thing is, we are responsible for catering the food. In the past, we’d gotten so much food and rescued food from donations from hotels and event halls. This enabled us to feed our clients with food that would have otherwise been wasted. Now, with the shuttering of hotels and event halls, we are responsible for catering the food.”
Today, Meir Panim is delivering thousands of meals directly to the homes of our clients which allows them to stay home and stay safe. Read the full interview with Mimi Rozmaryn, as she sits down with the Jewish Weekly.