Modern Israel is blessed with a thriving agricultural sector. Kibbutzim, farmers and large corporations combine each year to produce more than enough fruit and vegetables to satisfy the needs of all Israelis, and some exported products like Jaffa oranges are considered prize possessions abroad.

But the downside to this overabundance is waste. Some farmers find it unprofitable to harvest all the produce their fields have given, while others simply cannot pick their entire crop before it begins to rot. In both cases, tens of thousands of tons of fresh fruits and vegetables are wasted each year.

Leket is our attempt to reverse the phenomenon. Rather than let good food go to waste, Israeli farmers invite Leket Israel to harvest their fields and to provide the produce to needy people around the country. More than 50,000 volunteers will "hit the fields" for Project Leket by the end of 2008, and 100,000 volunteers are expected by the end of 2009.

Project Leket was inspired by the Bible, which states:

When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be left for the alien, the orphan, and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all your undertakings. (Deuteronomy 24:19)

For volunteer Leket opportunities, or to make a reservation for a large group, please contact our office at (09) 744-1757, or by email at leket@tabletotable.org.il. From overseas, please dial +972 9 744-1757.