Due to the bad economic situation in Israel and in the world in general, we have had to cut down on the number of families we are able to help with food parcels. This is a shame, as now, more than ever, people need help.

Despite this situation we have had the good fortune to receive some wonderful donations. Our donors prefer to remain anonymous but I would like to mention just a few of them.

A young yeshiva student whose parents live in Netanya, sent in 1,000 shekels. He had organized a weekly donation to the “mitzvah box” in his class, and we were thrilled to be the recipients of this mitzvah.

I met with a wonderful lady from England during her visit to Israel. I explained about Esra and about our project. When I contacted her at Pesach to ask for her help, she sent us a generous donation. With her donation and with the very generous donation we received from a staunch supporter from New York, who is by now a very good friend of the Food Pantry, we were able to supply extra parcels at Pesach.

We seem to be fortunate in having feelers in many parts of the world. We have a lovely lady in Norway who collects money for us. People there send in money in lieu of gifts and we send the thank you cards from here. It is very beneficial to all parties.

We have a couple in Netanya who celebrated a special wedding anniversary. They decided to give us a monthly donation in honor of this occasion. Another couple celebrating their golden wedding anniversary asked their friends and family to donate to our project in lieu of gifts.

We and the recipients of our food parcels appreciate the wonderful support of all our donors.

Our big fundraiser was held on March 30. An enthusiastic crowd of over 200 people was thrilled by the gala concert held at the Sharon Hotel in Herzliya. Nelly Perry was the driving force in arranging this event. With her expertise and know-how she organized the sponsorship for the hotel, and the pianist, Gil Shohat, and even raised money to cover sundry costs for the evening. We are forever indebted to her and thank her for her efforts.