Good People Fund grantee Jerusalem Food Rescuers, co-founded by Daniella Seltzer and Itay Peled, was featured in the Times of Israel last week for their remarkable work tackling food insecurity and food waste in Jerusalem simultaneously. The organization, which salvages seven to ten tons of surplus produce each week from the city’s wholesale market and distributes it to an estimated 1,000 Jerusalemites weekly, just launched Israel’s first Urban Food Policy Forum at Jerusalem City Hall, bringing together 70 stakeholders from across the food landscape and securing Mayor Moshe Lion’s signature on the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, joining over 300 cities worldwide committed to more equitable food systems. “How can we not see food as part of the civic infrastructure, like water?” Seltzer asked. In a city where 39% of families and 51% of children live below the poverty line, the work of Jerusalem Food Rescuers, carried out by 14 staff, six national service volunteers, and 450 community volunteers across 33 distribution points is both a lifeline and a model. With Good People Fund’s support, they are now setting their sights on tripling their operations over the next three to five years.
Pictured: Itay and Daniella with Mayor Lion of Jerusalem
