Colel Chabad has been committed to helping needy families and the elderly in Israel since its inception in 1788. But this year—with its 23 soup kitchens across Israel shuttered and dozens of public Seders canceled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic—staff and volunteers are in a race against time to provide tens of thousands more people than ever before with food and matzah for the eight-day holiday of Passover, which is less than a week away.

“We are home-delivering dry goods, matzah, and fruits and vegetables to thousands of families for Passover,” Rabbi Menachem Traxler, volunteer coordinator at Colel Chabad, tells Chabad.org. “In addition, more than 2,000 Seder-to-Go kits will be sent out to individuals who have previously participated in one of Colel Chabad’s communal Passover Seders. The food package will include a full Seder experience complete with disposables, shmurah matzah, wine and a Seder guide.”

In normal times, Colel Chabad delivers food to more than 10,800 families in 48 municipalities across Israel each month. In addition, this year, the Welfare Ministry of Israel is partnering with Colel Chabad to distribute food stamps to 30,000 families living below the poverty line before the holiday. Plus, they are increasing home deliveries of food to 7,000 more families, thanks to a partnership with Keren LeYedidut, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

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The increased efforts are “quite an ambitious goal, but an achievable one,” says Traxler. “Single parents and individuals with at-risk or special-needs children are priority cases. Obviously, all of the above is carried out in a discreet manner,” he adds, with the assistance of social workers and mental-health professionals, and strictly conforming to the safety guidelines provided by the Ministry of Health.

For the hundreds of volunteers who work with Colel Chabad, it is an opportunity to help. “Now, because of COVID-19, there are so many older people who can’t go shopping,” says Shay Weisel, who works in the deliveries department of Colel Chabad. “We are taking care of it for them. We buy all the food items they need from the supermarket and deliver it to their door. It’s such an honor to be part of Colel Chabad, in ways that I can’t even describe.”