• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
 
DONATE NOW
SUBSCRIBE
The Good People Fund

The Good People Fund

  • About
    • Mission
    • Vision
    • Professional Leadership
    • Board of Trustees
    • Financial Information
    • Privacy Policy
    • FAQ’s
    • Contact Us
  • Our Grantees
    • By Program Focus
    • By Location
    • By Organization
    • Alumni Grantees
    • In Their Words: The Pandemic
  • How to Help
    • Donate Now
    • Send an E-Card for Purim
    • October 7 and After
    • Acknowledgement Cards
    • Planned Giving
    • Charitable Solicitation Disclosure Statement
  • Learning
    • Good People Learn
    • Our Educational Philosophy
    • For Jewish Educators
      • Our Good Service Model
      • Grab ‘n’ Go Lessons
      • GPF Core Curriculum
      • B’nai Mitzvah Service Projects
      • Archival Materials
      • Ziv Tzedakah Curriculum
    • For Students
      • Tips for Good Service Projects
      • Other Resources
  • Media
    • Newsroom
      • Grantees in the News
      • GPF in the News
      • Press Releases
      • 10th Anniversary
    • Grantee Focus
    • Journal of Good (Annual Reports)
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
  • Good News
  • (un)conference 2024
    • About the (un)conference
    • (un)conference Podcasts
    • (un)conference Press/Media
    • A Gathering of Good People
    • Photo Album
You are here: Home / Archives for gpfadmin

gpfadmin

    Man With a Van

    August 11, 2014

    zpfile002We have written many times about Gideon Ben Ami, our friend in Tel Aviv who derives great pleasure from feeding people who are hungry and with so few resources that a nutritious meal is beyond their means.

    Gideon’s latest venture involves the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables grown in Israel and how, with Gideon’s hard work and the generosity of Leket, Israel’s premier food rescue organization, we are now getting this nutritious bounty to people who rarely enjoy tomatoes, eggplant, sweet potatoes, corn, beets, peppers and more.

    A true entrepreneur long before the term became fashionable; Gideon always finds creative, economical and meaningful ways to improve others’ lives. This is what seems to fuel his very soul. From feeding breakfast to African refugees in Levinsky Park some years ago, to daily pick-ups from Tel Aviv’s restaurants, bakeries and supermarkets, Gideon seems to be guided by the mitzvah of lechem l’r’eyvim, feeding hungry people.

    Between Sunday and Monday this week Gideon picked up and distributed nearly 100 cases of fresh produce along with some “bonuses” like hot pretzels and hamburger rolls. Who benefits? Several homeless shelters, victims of domestic violence, daycare centers for refugee children, and individual families he helps whenever he can.  Do not doubt that he is always thinking of new ideas; know that some of the tomato bounty currently growing throughout the country has been turned over to Gideon’s “soup-making” team who are now cooking huge batches of tomato sauce with lots of fresh basil. The sauce is delivered to several of the aforementioned daycare centers where it tops the pasta lunch originally served with bottled catsup!

    The cost to the Good People Fund for this beautiful program? About 300 shekels ($88) for the rental of the trailer that hooks onto his van and the gasoline and insurance to run the van. Gideon estimates that before a year passes we could easily rescue and feed tons of fresh produce to hungry people.

    Worth every shekel, for sure.

    Filed under: Good News Update

    Burgers on the Barbi on the Border

    August 5, 2014

    Though the troops have left Gaza many soldiers remain in place on the border. Tzvika Levy,  the retired lieutenant colonel in charge of a group of chayalim bodedim, lone soldiers. For the past four weeks Tzvika has been a constant presence among his soldiers offering support in any way possible. One of the most popular requests he gets is fleish al ha aish, or quite simply, a barbecue. As you can see there are many satisfied faces as Tzvika’s soldiers gather around him with burgers in hand. A few of these barbecues were made possible because of the generosity of the Good People Fund’s donors.

    Judging by the news releases from the past several weeks we would imagine that food for Israel’s soldiers was not in short supply.

    SPECIAL NOTE TO EDUCATORS: The Good People Fund recently produced a Grab’n’Go lesson on Tzvika’s work. You can download the lesson at https://www.goodpeoplefund.org/jewish-learning-about-tzedakah/gpf-grab-n-go-lessons/

    Barby4

    Filed under: Good News Update

    Even in a Bomb Shelter

    July 31, 2014

    zpfile002Birthdays just come. They don’t care if there is war or peace, quiet or the sounds of rockets exploding overhead.

    Thanks to the good work and creativity of Ruthie Sobel Luttenberg and her programs Birthday Angels and Design for Change, kids forced to spend the long summer days in bomb shelters won’t have their special day forgotten despite the reality surrounding them. As Ruthie has arranged in previous wars, a contingent of Israeli volunteers  travel south to bomb shelters several days each week and  provide games, songs, what certainly looks like an amazing birthday cake — and a chance to forget what is happening outside.

    Added to the parties this year is a moving meditation exercise Ruthie created with help from some talented volunteers who wrote the music and the words. Watch this clip–it is guaranteed to touch your heart and mind. Though the words are in Hebrew we include the translation below.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJzB4yqWIDE

    The Good People Fund is honored to help Ruthie make these parties possible. No one should miss a birthday.

    ANGEL MEDITATION

    Find a place where you can lie down on the floor.

     And then, whenever when ever you are ready, just close your eyes.

     Listen to the music and let it take you to the quiet, safe place you have inside yourself.

    In this place, everything is calm and peaceful. 

    In this place, there are birthday angels who watch over all of you.

     

    These are the malachim, the guardian angels.

    They make you strong and protect you from harm.

    Each angel stands in a special place – and each one has a special job to do.

     

    In your imagination, picture the archangel Michael standing guard at your right side.

    Michael is kind and loving.

    He understands and accepts you just the way you are.

    He reminds you that you are a very special person.

    He makes you feel good about yourself and everyone around you.

    Whenever you are feeling sad or lonely, Michael will stay with you until you are happy again.

     

    Standing to the left of you is Gabriel.

    This archangel is powerful and brave.

    His gift to you is strength and courage.

    With Gabriel’s help, you can let go of anything that makes you feel afraid.

    Whenever you are frightened, all you have to do is call to Gabriel

    and he will be there to protect you.

    In front of you is Uriel – the angel of knowledge.

    Uriel is wise and all knowing.

    If you are feeling lost or confused, just ask Uriel for help

    and he will show you what to do.

    Uriel will always lead you in the right direction.

    He will always help you find your way.

    In back of you, stands the archangel Raphael.

    Raphael is in charge of healing.

    He is like a divine magician who knows how to change the bad into something good

    When you are sick or in pain, Raphael will help take care of you.

    Just tell him what is wrong and he will use his magic powers to make things better.

    Whenever you need the archangels, all you have to do is close your eyes and imagine.

     

    Michael will rush to your right side and shower you with love.

    Gabriel will take his position on the left to keep you safe from harm.

    Uriel will stand in front of you to light your way.

    And Raphael will be there behind you, in case you need his healing help.

     

    In a moment it will be time to open your eyes.

     

    But even when the birthday party is over, even when you go back home,

    you will still feel happy and calm, relaxed and secure  because you know you are protected by the angels.

     Here we go…

    One…

    Two…

    Three…

    Whenever you are ready, just open your eyes.

    Filed under: Good News Update

    The Mitzvah of Zachor-Remembering

    July 24, 2014

    Those of us who closely  followed the news in Israel during the days of the Second Intifada were faced each day with word of terror attacks on buses, in cafes, just about anywhere. Soldiers’  and civilian lives were lost at a frightening rate and every day the names and ages of those killed were published. Very early on we came to realize that the regularity, the frequency and the numbers were almost numbing and one could forget that each name represented a life lost (many in their prime), a family forever changed and a country where ordinary citizens commit themselves each day to assuring that their nation will exist. That was the impetus for a list we compiled each week that was eventually circulated and read in synagogues each Shabbat. Sadly, “the list” was around for years and each week grew until it was finally several pages long.

    This past Monday reports arrived announcing the death of eight soldiers and for some reason my mind went to “the list” and I began to compile names and ages and places where these people came from. All were shocking losses, not the least of which was the death of Dror Hanin, a tzadik, a good soul, who went to the front lines to deliver food to the soldiers and was killed by schrapnel from a rocket. As this week progressed we would check the news and sadly add  more names to our “list”.  It is only Thursday and the list takes up almost a full page of two columns. In addition to the soldiers killed are a Thai worker, toiling in a field so he could earn enough money to send back to his family, and a Bedouin who lives where bomb shelters do not exist. Each name represents a life lost.

    The Good People Fund is really about mitzvahs and Jewish values–these are the things that drive our work. It is in that spirit that we publish this Tzedakah Diary…so that all of us who read each name will remember that life that was lost.

    We pray that this is the final list.

    Lives Lost in Operation Protective Edge (as of 7.24.14)

     

    First Sgt. Eitan Barak, 20, from Herzliya

    Lt. Colonel Dolev Keidar, 38, from Modi’in

    Sgt. Major Bayhesain Kshaun, 39, from Netivot

    Second Lt. Yuval Haiman, 21, from Efrat

    Sgt. Nadav Goldmacher, 23, from Be’er Sheva

    Staff Sgt. Tal Ifrach, 21, from Rishon LeZion

    Staff Sgt. Yuval Dagan, 22, from Kfar Saba

    Staff Sgt. Jordan Bensemhoun, 22, from Ashkelon

    Staff Sgt. Moshe Malko, 20, from Jerusalem

    Sgt. Nissim Sean Carmeli, 21, from Ra’anana

    Sgt. Oz Mendelovich, 21, from Atzmon

    Sgt. Gilad Rozenthal Yacoby, 21, from Kiryat Ono

    Cpt. Tsvi Kaplan, 28, from Meirav

    Maj. Tzafrir Baror, 32, from Holon

    Staff Sgt. Bnaya Rubel, 20, from Holon

    2nd Lt. Bar Rahav, 21, from Ramat Yishai

    Sgt. Adar Barsano, 20, from Nahariya

    Maj. (res.) Amotz Greenberg, 45, from Hod Hasharon

    Ouda Lafi al-Waj, 32 (civilian Bedouin)

    Narakorn Kittiyongkul, Thai Worker

     Dror Hanin, 37, from Beit Aryeh (civilian)

    Sgt. Max Steinberg, 24, of Beer Sheva (originally from Los Angeles, California)

    Staff Sgt. Shachar Tase, 20, of Pardesiya,

    Staff Sgt. Daniel Pomerantz, 20, of Kfar Azar

    Sgt. Shon Mondshine, 19, of Tel Aviv

    Sgt. Ben Oanounou , 19, of Ashdod

    Staff Sgt. Oren Noach, 22, of Hoshaya

    Staff Sgt. Jordan Ben Simon, 22, from Ashkelon

    Staff Sgt. Oded Ben Sira, 22, of Nir Etzion

    Master Sgt. Ohad Shemesh, 27, of Beit Elazari

    Staff Sgt. Avitar Moshe Torjamin, 20, of Beit Shean

    Cpt. Dmitri Levitas, 26, of Jerusalem

    First Lt. Natan Cohen, 23, from Modiin

    Lt. Paz Elyahu, 22, from Evron

    Staff Sgt. Li Mat, 19, from Eilat

    Staff Sgt. Shahar Dauber, 20, from Ginegar

    Oron Shaul , 19, of Poriah Illit, declared Missing in Action, presumed dead.  

    Baruch Dayan Ha’met

    Filed under: Good News Update

    War in Israel–A Different Perspective

    July 21, 2014

    …As they are not able to make it to a secure location in enough time, they stay in their apartments and are terribly frightened. We have had several tenants who are experiencing tremendous anxiety all of the time and both the staff and the board have been very busy trying to help people.

    After 14 days we are all familiar with the sound of the sirens piercing the air throughout Israel, the sight of people running to shelters, the news of death and destruction. Two emails from early this morning remind us of a special group of people particularly hard hit by the ongoing war — disabled people. What do you do when you live alone and are disabled? Even if your home is secure, to be alone during such a stressful time is extraordinarily difficult.  As Miriam Freier, founder of Shalhevet which provides independent housing to disabled people in Jerusalem, wrote this morning, anxiety abounds in her group.

    Laurie Groner who helps run Inbar, an organization that offers social events as well as courses in relationships and social integration to people with disabilities wrote,  We’re just one small organization, and last night while I was glued to the TV I got 5 phone calls from our clients. Many of them are home alone and they just want to talk. They’re thinking that next time this happens they don’t want to be alone…..We’ve cancelled three events so far and people really miss them.

    The Good People Fund will help Miriam and the residents of Shalhevet. While we cannot stop the war, we can make it possible for a communal Shabbat meal and other diversions to help ease the residents’ concerns. Perhaps this week’s Shabbat meal will be a quiet one with no sirens to create anxiety and fear?

    Filed under: Good News Update

    So Where Do We Help?

    July 13, 2014

    Israeli-flagOnce again, the situation in Israel has deteriorated to the point that over 75% of the country is threatened by the recent wave of rocket attacks. No longer is the crisis confined to the southern-most part of Israel…very few regions are exempt from the ongoing tzeva adom (code red) alarms that pierce the air at a frighteningly frequent rate. (To get a sense of just how far technology has come in this war and how frequently these rockets are being deployed you can now download the app for these alarms on your smartphone.)

    We have spoken with all of our programs individually, sharing our concern. In fact, if there is one overriding comment I hear it is that our “checking in” is so important — to know that people not involved in the day-to-day matsav (situation ) care and want to help gives everyone strength knowing that they are not alone.

    Whenever there is a major crisis — a tsunami, a hurricane or, in this case a war affecting a region where we are already deeply invested, the question that always arises is “where do we, the Good People Fund, best use our resources to help in ways that are consistent with our philosophy?” Over the past few days I have been in touch with Rosa Naveh, a certified family therapist and supervisor who began The Center for Children and Family at Risk in Sderot in 2001. Rosa has often acted on our behalf with specific needs for her families that are not met elsewhere. When we met her several years ago we knew immediately that her “no-nonsense” compassion would serve us well. A few days ago I wrote to Rosa asking how the children and families she works with were managing in this latest war. Could we help?

    Rosa explained that in Sderot there are many organizations that provide interventions for families who have been “hit” or suffer severe anxiety attacks. All of these services are emergency based. Rosa’s wish is to provide art therapy with the help of a nationally recognized art therapist and his team. The therapists will make home visits to help the children and their families process what is happening now, while it is happening, so that it doesn’t develop into chronic PTSD. When this is done on a home visit basis it alleviates a sense of isolation when most families stay home. Also most of these parents need to continue working which means that they often leave their children at home. Providing them art therapy at home preserves their sense of childhood as opposed to being thrown into a tough reality with no emotional means to cope because “they are still children”. This therapy will also be offered to home-bound handicapped people who have a particularly difficult time in these kinds of situations.

    Our plan is to provide at least 100 hours of art therapy which Rosa will monitor and is enlisting families as of this morning.

    In addition, we will provide funds to Maya Englert, founder of our grantee, Fund for Needy Immigrants located in Beersheva, a particularly hard-hit city in the South. Maya reports that our urgent need in this context is to help these immigrants as much as possible, by distributing food, soaps and basic necessities for the immigrants, as well as games, toys and some candy to the children. … in addition to the immigrants in the Nachal Ashan neighborhood, there are 150 families of new immigrants in the Ye’elim absorption centre, who have similar needs.

    Please click here www.goodpeoplefund.org/donate so that we can make these needs (and anything else we are asked to provide) a reality for Israel’s most vulnerable citizens.

    Filed under: Good News Update

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 6
  • Page 7
  • Page 8
  • Page 9
  • Page 10
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 69
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Footer

Candid Gold Transparency Award Charity Navigator Four-Star Rating
Safety. Respect. Equity. — SRE Network Affiliate

Get Inspired

Get uplifting stories of how ordinary people are changing the world in extraordinary ways. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Subscribe

Recent Updates

  • Detroit Phoenix Center: Providing Critical Resources June 4, 2024
  • NOLA Children’s Hospital A Fitting End June 4, 2024
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2025 The Good People Fund, Inc. | All Right Reserved | Website by DoSiDo Design and Insight Dezign 26-1887249

Get Inspired
Just add your name and email address and you are on the way to reading Good People’s stories that will inspire you!
Educators Newsletter

Join our Educators News list for updates on to receive updates on our programs and curricula:

Want more good news?

Sign up here for our newsletter!

Good News

The Good People FundLogo Header Menu
  • About
    • Mission
    • Vision
    • Professional Leadership
    • Board of Trustees
    • Financial Information
    • Privacy Policy
    • FAQ’s
    • Contact Us
  • Our Grantees
    • By Program Focus
    • By Location
    • By Organization
    • Alumni Grantees
    • In Their Words: The Pandemic
  • How to Help
    • Donate Now
    • Send an E-Card for Purim
    • October 7 and After
    • Acknowledgement Cards
    • Planned Giving
    • Charitable Solicitation Disclosure Statement
  • Learning
    • Good People Learn
    • Our Educational Philosophy
    • For Jewish Educators
      • Our Good Service Model
      • Grab ‘n’ Go Lessons
      • GPF Core Curriculum
      • B’nai Mitzvah Service Projects
      • Archival Materials
      • Ziv Tzedakah Curriculum
    • For Students
      • Tips for Good Service Projects
      • Other Resources
  • Media
    • Newsroom
      • Grantees in the News
      • GPF in the News
      • Press Releases
      • 10th Anniversary
    • Grantee Focus
    • Journal of Good (Annual Reports)
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
  • Good News
  • (un)conference 2024
    • About the (un)conference
    • (un)conference Podcasts
    • (un)conference Press/Media
    • A Gathering of Good People
    • Photo Album