Coat Campaign in the News

by Fran Jakubowicz

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Yad Eliezer, Israel’s largest poverty relief agency, is dispensing warmth to fight against the encroaching cold weather in Israel this winter. Through its yearly Winter Warmth Campaign 3000 coats have already been distributed to boys and girls in cities across the country, with two thousand more arriving in a matter of weeks.

Children in cities around Israel, who have only experienced winter under patched layers of second hand clothing are enjoying the warmth of their new coats this year, even taking them to sleep at night. The coats, made possible by a generous supporter of Yad Eliezer, were purchased directly from the manufacturer in May, at rock bottom prices, a fraction of what the coats would have cost if purchased locally. This is just one example of Yad Eliezer’s continuous efforts to stretch its limited resources. The organization’s team of volunteers are dispersing their gifts of warmth to those in need in 20 cities around the country, including Tzfat, Ofakim, Yerucham, Netivot, Tifrach, Ashdod, Ashkelon and Jerusalem. Many other children await the arrival of more coats from the manufacturer.

To ensure children across the country are as warm in their beds as they are in new coats, Yad Eliezer also plans to award new comforters, but funds are needed to support the effort. Two years ago Yad Eliezer managed to give away over 11,300 comforters through the generosity of its supporters and with the help of its cadre of volunteers. This year the agency seeks to give out another 5,000 blankets to keep the cold at bay in homes stricken by poverty across Israel.

"Every child needs a warm coat and comforter in the winter," Yossi Adler, Chief Operations Officer at Yad Eliezer explains, "but even more so when there is little money for heat, especially in drafty rooms often in need of repair. The need is very great, particularly amongst children and there are thousands of families requesting our help as the winter weather draws near." To take part in spreading the warmth, contributions can be made directly to Yad Eliezer’s Winter Warmth Campaign on the Yad Eliezer website.

About Yad Eliezer
Yad Eliezer began in 1980 in the kitchen of the Weisel family of Jerusalem. They prepared a food basket for a neighbor who could not feed her children, and were soon delivering monthly food baskets to hungry families. Yad Eliezer has now grown to encompass nineteen primary economic and social service programs that impact tens of thousands of individuals.