The Program
Need:
According to 2016 data from the National Insurance Institute, 17.8% of Israeli families live in nutritional insecurity, along with 25.5% of children (14.1% of children live in severe nutritional insecurity). Nutritional insecurity is the most severe indicator of poverty. It is notable mainly in the lack of economic ability and regular access to basic and high quality nutrition required for a proper and balanced existence. Moreover, malnutrition damages daily functioning, normal healthy development in children, and a family's ability to live with dignity.
Due to a lack of resources and problems in government policy, finding a solution to the issue of nutritional insecurity has fallen solely on the shoulders of non-profit aid associations in the third sector. Latet considers basic nutritional security as a necessity, and therefore takes the responsibility upon itself to provide for the individuals and families who are lacking this vital requirement.
Target Population:
The program is open to all individuals in need as recognized by welfare services, including a large population of families with children, single-parent families, the elderly and isolated individuals in need living in disand suffering from nutritional insecurity, throughout the country, in all sectors of society.
Model and Structure:
The initiative acquires food through three main channels: food rescuing, purchasing, and community donations. Latet works as an umbrella organization for 180 local associations and organizations (soup kitchens, local welfare services) in 105 communities across Israel. The food is collected at a national level and then redistributed on an ongoing basis trough the local partner NGOs to 60,000 families in need, living in nutritional security, in a quick and efficient manner. Moreover, through Latet's partnerships with large food distributors, the initiative is able to leverage existing resources rather than investing in additional infrastructure.
The food distribution takes place on a regular basis every month and includes purchased and rescued basic food products (mainly dry food), together with donations of short lived products (poultry and dairy). The distribution is conducted with the collaboration of Latet's local partners in all the country, on an equal basis and under strict scrutiny and supervision to ensure the quality of food is preserved until it arrives to the aid recipients. The initiative sets high prerequisites and criterions to join Latet's network of partners and runs continuous control systems regarding the NGOs ongoing activity.
To allow for the large scale operations of the organization, Latet maintains a sophisticated logisitical infrastructure for the food transportation and storage:
- three logistic centers in north, central and south Israel, serving as regional food banks
- a flee of 6 trucks and other distribution vehicules
- forklifts
- storage in refrigerated rooms
- ERP systems
Sources of food donations for the initiative are divided into several key channels:
Food Rescue and Manufacturers:
Food rescue is the regular collection of surplus edible food from food companies and manufacturers. Having access to existing sources of good quality and edible food is fundamental to the initiative’s operational model.
During the past 19 years, Latet established strategic partnerships with leading grocery retailers and food manufacturers in Israel, including Tnuva, Osem, Strauss, Unilever, and Tara, reaching more than 80% of the food industry in Israel. Thanks to those exclusive partnerships the initiative salvages approximately 15 million dollars worth of food every year.
Food Acquisition:
Latet conducts consistent acquisitions of food from dozens of manufacturers, suppliers and wholesalers, to ensure distribution of basic food products that are essential to maintaining nutritional security and to meeting the needs of the target population.
Public Food Drive Campaigns:
Campaigns take place in order to collect food from the public at supermarket chains, schools, and businesses. Twice a year, before Pesach (Passover) and Rosh HaShana (Jewish New Year), Latet holds a national food collection campaign in cooperation with Shufersal, the leading supermarket chain in Israel. Around 6,000 volunteers are stationed at the chain’s branches in order to collect food for impoverished families.
Telethon:
Every year before Rosh HaShana, there is a special telethon on national TV, in collaboration with leading TV lives shows, calling upon the public to donate holiday meals to impoverished families. This program is the culmination of a far-reaching advertising campaign alongside a wide range of activities in the field.
Scope of Activity:
- Annual budget: $24,928,000 (money - $4,822,000; in-kind - $20,106,000)
- Around $25 million dollars worth of food is recovered and distributed to families in need each year
- Ongoing and regular aid delivered to 60,000 families in need (200,000 individuals)
- Umbrella organization for 180 non-profits in 105 locations
- Three logistics centers are located in the central region, in the Negev and in the Galilee
- Throughout the years, there have been dozens of national food collection campaigns, with tens of thousands of volunteers involved
- 383,000 volunteer hours
Effectiveness
Relative Advantages and Additional Value:
Strategic partnership's within the food industry:
- Exclusive agreements with major food manufacturers and dozens of food companies
Uniqueness:
- As an umbrella organization, in cooperation with more than 180 aid associations and organizations, the initiative serves as a support network and works to influence potential change in government policy
Professionalism and experience:
- 20 years of experience, knowledge and deep understanding of the field
Food rescue:
- Rescue of surplus edible food and short-lived goods as the central channel to handle the food insecurity issue
Ongoing aid:
- Based on regular acquisition of food products and industrial food rescue
Sustainability:
- Effective solution based on existing resources and food waste/destruction prevention
Public campaigns:
- Encouraging action, raising awareness, and instilling values of mutual responsibility
Control and inspection:
- Ongoing control of the participating organizations, and strict inspection of the supply chain
Logistic infrastructure:
- 3 logistical centers, ERP system for managing inventory, a fleet of trucks and other distribution vehicles
Ethical code:
- Formulation and implementation of common and uniform standards to provide aid and preserve the dignity of the recipients
Advocacy activities:
- Petitions to the Supreme Court, publication of an Alternative Poverty Report, and continuous activities for the establishment of a national initiative for food security and change in government policy
Volunteers:
- Recruitment, training and overseeing thousands of volunteers year round
Measures of Success:
Improvement of aid recipients' situation
- ongoing and regular assistance and implementation of the mutual responsibiilty value as a social security net stemming from civil society
Development of a food rescue infrastructure in Israel:
- An increase in the amount of food recovered annually from the food industry
Building a coalition of associations:
- A national social support network with geographic equality
Pooling resources:
- Coordination, control, inspection and pooling of resources under the security of an umbrella organization
Channels of Influence:
The program succeeds in creating change through the following channels of influence:
Providing for families in need:
- Annual food aid worth millions of shekels decreases the nutritional insecurity of thousands of families and frees resources for other essential needs
National project:
- Encouraging action and strengthening social solidarity through a network of cooperating organizations including thousands of volunteers, hundreds of companies and thousands of donors and investors
Advocacy:
- Latet leads continuous public campaigns in order to influence change in governmental policy on the issue of nutritional security. The campaigns include petitions to the Supreme Court, lobbying the Ministry of Welfare, social exhibitions, and publication of an alternative report on poverty.
Measures of Efficiency:
- SROI: Maximum leverage of funds invested in activities: ratio of 1:9 – for every shekel invested in logistics and operations, 9 shekels worth of food is collected and distributed.
- Volunteer hours: 19,100 volunteers in 2018, providing 452,000 volunteer hours in aid to families suffering from nutritional insecurity
- Sustainability: prevention of destruction of edible food worth $25,000,000 annually