Jerusalem Food Rescuers began seven years ago with a simple idea: that surplus food could serve people rather than go to waste. What started as a single communal meal cooked from unsold produce collected at the close of Machane Yehuda Market revealed the power of food to create connection, dignity, and shared responsibility.
With the founding and ongoing support of the Jerusalem Foundation, this initiative has grown into a citywide movement committed to building a sustainable, efficient and community driven urban food system in Jerusalem. Jerusalem Food Rescuers operates the central hub for surplus produce at Jerusalem’s Wholesale Market, rescuing approximately ten to fifteen tons of food each week and redistributing it through twenty-eight sites across the city, reaching thousands of residents.
Beyond food rescue, the organization advances food sustainability through education and policy advocacy, in close partnership with the Jerusalem Foundation. This work promotes civic engagement, integrates food security into municipal planning, and develops scalable models for urban transformation. A key expression of this effort is Israel’s first Visitors Center dedicated to food waste, food literacy, and sustainability, which has welcomed more than eighteen thousand visitors to date.
A core pillar of the organization’s work, is building partnerships that reflect Jerusalem’s social and cultural diversity. Current collaborations include six partners in East Jerusalem, working in communities such as Al Walaje, A-Tur, Silwan, and Beit Tzafafa, alongside the Jerusalem Intercultural Center and the Domari Association. Additional institutions, including the Ibdaa School for the Arts and David Yellin College’s Arab teacher training program, have expressed strong interest in future collaboration.
After seven years of growth and learning, Jerusalem Food Rescuers continues to expand food justice as both a practical and educational model through a community led, inclusive, and culturally rooted approach. Through this work, food becomes more than nourishment, serving as a catalyst for dignity, sustainability, and environmental awareness in one of Jerusalem’s most vibrant and complex areas.