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Gabriel Project Mumbai

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Good People Fund Gabriel Project Mumbai

Poverty, disease, illiteracy, hunger — scourges so prevalent throughout the world. Jacob Sztokman, a frequent business traveler to India where the slums of Mumbai present these overwhelming challenges, felt he could make a difference. He started Gabriel Project Mumbai to draw children to school with the promise of a hot meal, and an education that could ultimately break the cycle of poverty for many.

Today, GPM is so much more than hot meals. Medical and dental care is provided, young adults from around the world volunteer, and most noteworthy, women in the community have begun food-related micro-enterprises that have helped them and their families. The most famous – the Masala Mamas – have even created an award-winning Indian kosher vegetarian cookbook.  Our funds help cover the cost of increased staffing needs.

 

Village Harvest

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Good People Fund Village Harvest

They are a force for good – about 1,000 community volunteers in Northern California dedicated to minimizing food waste and ensuring that excess fruit growing in orchards and backyards gets to those going without.

Volunteers harvest a variety of fruit – apricot, pears, apples, oranges and lemons – at more than 600 homes and 30 orchards throughout the year in four counties south of San Francisco.

All this work and dedication has a big impact on hunger, poverty and healthy eating for vulnerable populations. In 2018 alone, volunteers picked 245,000 pounds of fresh fruit, which translated to 650,000 servings of healthy food for tens of thousands of people in the community. Craig Diserens, Village Harvest’s Executive Director, said this is the result of volunteers’ unparalleled “sense of community spirit and doing good.” Our grant supports the group’s harvesting at “heritage” orchards in the region.

 

Pesia’s Kitchen

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Good People Fund Gideon Ben Ami

Gideon Ben Ami, a former successful restauranteur in both the U.S. and Israel, may be retired. But he readily admits that his present “job” helping others has given him more satisfaction than anything else he has ever done. A true entrepreneur long before the term became fashionable, Gideon always finds creative and meaningful ways to improve others’ lives.

Feeding breakfast to African refugees in Levinsky Park; making daily pick-ups from Tel Aviv’s restaurants, bakeries and supermarkets; rescuing refugees who are victims of racist attacks and implementing the distribution of tons of donated fresh produce to hungry people⎯these are just a few of his many accomplishments.

With our support and the help of others, Gideon’s simple and efficient operation runs nearly day and night and offers visibility and hope to people often hidden from sight.

Yotsrot

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Good People Fund Yotsrot

“Seeing with my own eyes, every day, women being used, sold, and exploited in prostitution hit me in my strongest point of power as a woman. I knew I had to do something to change it.”

These words, from Lilach Tsur Ben-Moshe – a former online fashion editor who commuted each day past Tel Aviv’s Central Bus Station and saw such injustices – capture why she founded Yotsrot Hofachot (Turning the Tables) as a catalyst for women’s empowerment.

The organization promotes economic advancement for women who want to leave the world of prostitution by offering vocational training in sewing, pattern-making and digital marketing.  It creates a business hub for their creations, and provides a safe space where they find respect, friendship, and encouragement. In 2018, in a first, the women of Yotsrot were featured during Tel Aviv Fashion Week, a major event that infused them with self-worth and community support. Our funds support a social worker.

 

Unchained at Last

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Good People Fund Unchained at Last

The statistics are astounding: nearly 250,000 children, as young as 12, were legally married in this country between 2000 and 2010. Most of us are unaware of these numbers.

Fraidy Reiss, founder of Unchained at Last, did not know this either when she was subjected to an arranged marriage years ago. Arranged and forced marriages, though distinctly different, affect thousands of people. Once she escaped her abusive, arranged marriage, Fraidy began her crusade to end this widespread practice.

Imbued with boundless passion and energy, Fraidy and her small staff have helped nearly 600 women with legal services, emotional support and, in some cases, provided the means for women to return to America after they have been forced into arranged marriages overseas.

As Unchained’s advocacy work advances, more and more people are becoming aware of the dangers of forced and arranged marriages.  Delaware and New Jersey have enacted legislation to end the practice, with several other states considering implementation.

Our funds help with administrative expenses.

 

 

Special Individual Needs

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Gideonsoup

Perhaps the most profound lesson we learn each day is that people’s lives can disintegrate precipitously, with little warning and, all too often, with little hope for change. Those with the fewest resources are at greatest risk.

Sometimes we learn about these situations from the very organizations we support; other sources are social workers or doctors with whom we have developed a close relationship and who know that when no other resources are available we can be “a place to turn where all else fails.” Sometimes this means saving a life⎯literally.

In addition to “keeping the lights on,” we also provide emergency funds for food, medical needs, summer camp and rent. Sometimes, by joining forces with other resources, we are able to mitigate even more serious needs, such as purchasing a car for an otherwise self-sufficient victim of domestic violence, or paying tuition for young men and women who have chosen to leave their insular, ultra-religious community, losing both family and friends in the process.

In each case, we know our funds have made a significant difference in helping to restore dignity and hope to people who far too often have so little.