The National Food Bank of Israel

Latet organization, increases pressure on the government authorities to take responsibility on the treatment of poor people and has filed a petition to the High Court of Justice: Latet Organization demands from the state, to take responsibility over the food allocation for the needy people and claims that there has been a so called privatization of welfare services due to the fact that the burden of the actual allocating of food for more than 200,000 families is on 200 voluntary non profit organizations without any governmental involvement. The High Court of Justice will be asked to determine whether a minimal nutrition security, is a basic right.

•76% of the needy reported that they would prefer a job over a welfare allowance, where the circumstances would allow it. This reflects an increase of 19% in the willingness to work (64% in 2006). •Most of the needy who work (72%) are employed in part time positions or in hourly based jobs, while the majority of the populations works in a full time position (71%). In addition, only 12% of the needy who work are employed in a permanent position compared to 50% of the general population. •The three main reasons for poverty, as perceived by the public, are low pay rates or insufficient working conditions (37%), lack of governmental aid (34%) and the absence of workplaces (30%). •Only 30% of the needy reported that they work, although the figures demonstrate an increase of 36% as compared to 2006, when the employment rate among the needy was 22%. •40% of the public perceive employment to be the most urgent issue to be addressed toward reducing the problem of poverty.

•78% of the needy are unable to provide their children with equipment needed for school. This figure demonstrates a 47% increase compared to 2006 when 53% of the families were unable to meet this requirement. •A 22% increase is reported in the number of parents who cannot afford to have their children take part in school activities: from 53% in 2006 to 65% this year. The difference compared to the general public – 11% - is huge. •Every sixth needy individual (18%) is forced to remove one (or more) of his children from home and into another facility due to financial difficulties. •89% of the needy are unable to provide their children with complementary education, compared to only 19% who are unable to do so in the general public. This is a clear sign of the large differences between the needy and the general population. •Only 6% of the needy are capable of financing an academic education for their children, compared to 54% of the general public. •Half of the public (50%) believes that education is the most urgent issue on the national agenda.

•23% of the needy report contemplating suicide due to their deep despair with their financial situation. •The greatest fear among 7% of the needy is dying of hunger. •Half of the respondents (48%) do not believe that they will ever break out of the cycle of poverty – 77% of those who believe they will succeed in breaking out of the cycle (49%) assume that it will take them more than one year to do so. •Almost one third of the needy (30%) believe that their children will also live in poverty. These figures demonstrate an increase in the sense of hopelessness and despair among the needy. •Most of the needy (66%) reported that their greatest fear is the inability to care for their children and the concern that they will have to live in distress. •One of every four Israelis (25%) declared that he is afraid of being poor and this year demonstrates a halt in the rate of those worried about reaching a state of poverty.

•A deterioration in the ability of the needy population to make basic payments: 68% of the needy reported a disconnection of electricity/water/gas/telephone services – an increase of 19% compared to 2006 (57%). •This year, 41% of the needy faced legal claims – an increase of 24% compared to 2006 (33%). •81% of the needy reported that they have never traveled abroad. In comparison, 77% of the public reported being abroad at least once. •Over half of the needy (57%) have never vacationed in Israel, compared to only 9% among the general public.

•The needy are critically dependent upon the voluntary aid – 60% of the aid recipients and their families were forced to eat only up to 2 warm meals a week had they not received aid from the food organizations. •46% of the supported families receive 50% or more of the food they require from the non profit organizations. •The growth trends reported in food distribution continue in 2007 as well: most of the organizations report an average increase of 24%, both in the demand for food and in the quantity of food distributed. •78% of the general public agrees that hunger can be defined as: “the inability to obtain basic minimal nutrition”. In other words, the majority of the public does not necessarily relate hunger to a physical sensation, but rather to the independent ability to provide oneself and one’s family with basic food products. •Approximately one third of the supported population (31%) has experienced hunger – a decline of 16% compared to 2006 (36%). •The majority of the needy (57%) have 2 meals a day, as compared to the majority of the public (58%) who eat 3 meals a day and more.

•Every fourth needy individual (24%) is acquainted with a person who passed away due to his inability to afford medical care. •95% of the needy are unable to independently afford dental care: an increase of 12% compared to 2006 (85%) and compared to only 19% among the general public. •Every fifth needy individual in 2007 (20%) is chronically ill: an increase of 17% as compared to 2006 (17%). •35% of the needy require constant medication and do not receive it due to their financial situation (33% in 2006) as compared to only 2% of the general public.