The Social Infant Food Bank reports an increase in the number of requests from families seeking assistance with baby food.
According to the data, the number of babies the bank helped in 2023 stood at 2,100, up from 1,700 in 2022 – an increase of 23 per cent. The association believes that the explanation for the sharp jump lies in the consequences of the war. In the past two months alone, over 800 families from the Gaza envelope have appealed for help.
The aid began with one-time requests, but as the war deepened, calls turned from a request for temporary help to a request for permanent help. In the past year, the prices of baby formula compounds have risen by tens of percent, and they are expected to increase again in the near future.
Baby formula substitutes (illustrative), photo: Gideon Markowitz
Two weeks ago, Latet's Alternative Poverty Report for 2023 was published, showing that 22% (709,500) of families in Israel are food insecure, and that nearly 1.15 million children in Israel are food insecure. The report warns that the war has an immediate impact on disadvantaged populations, adding that poverty will worsen during 2024 and that more families will fall into economic distress.
Meir Sadeh, CEO of the Social Bank for Baby Food, says: "The war is taking its toll, and we are witnessing a growing number of families who are having difficulty purchasing baby food packaging. Israeli society cannot afford a situation in which parents cannot provide their children with the most basic thing – food."
The Social Baby Food Bank is a project of the "Social Responsibility - Giving from the Heart" association, and it helps families each month with the distribution of kits consisting of baby food, diapers, wipes and other equipment during the baby's first year. The organization is spread out in more than 100 communities across the country, and has more than 500 volunteers who collect food boxes and deliver them to families in need.
CEO of the Social Baby Food Bank: "Israeli society cannot afford a situation in which parents cannot provide their children with the most basic thing - food"
Liat, a resident of Netivot and a single mother of six, was evacuated to a hotel in Eilat when the war broke out. In Netivot she lived in a borderline area that was not included in state grants, but because she lives in an unprotected building, Liat decided to evacuate, and now she receives assistance from civilian organizations to finance her stay at the hotel.
Volunteers preparing equipment and food for IDF soldiers and residents of the envelope, photo: Herzi Shapira
Liat asked the social baby food bank for help for her 5-month-old daughter. "Before the war, we were still somehow on our feet, despite all the difficulties," she says. "By the time I finally managed to stabilize, the war had crushed us. We in Netivot feel second-class. A lot of people have gone bankrupt."
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