2 years ago Crown Heights property owner Yossi Popack made his first foray into the grocery and produce industry – but for charity rather than profit.
Teaming up with Collel Chabad, Popack inaugurated a subsidized Chesed grocery store in Israel, helping to ease the amount Lubavitch families spend on food.
During recent months, Popack and his wife Penina Batsheva were told that hundreds of families in the city of Tzfas are enjoying the dignified charitable service each month.
Wondering how to broaden the fund’s beneficiaries to more people around the country, Popack suggested that an e-commerce website be built and offer the same prices to all.
Rabbi Sholom Duchman, Executive Director of Collel Chabad, praised the idea and immediately got his staff in Israel to work on the project.
Visiting the Holy Land for Sukkos, Popack was honored with affixing Mezuzas on the doors of the warehouse that will service the online grocery store.
“This is very exciting,” he commented. “To think of all the families that will be helped…”
Popack thanked Duchman and Colel Chabad member Mendy Blau “for taking the idea and making it an effective reality.”
The first phase will begin with the Nachlas Har Chabad neighborhood in the city of Kiryat Malachi.
“All they have to do is click the mouse and the order is on its way,” Popack noted.
As COLlive reported, Popack also visited the Kfar Chabad village during his stay and was warmly welcomed by Rabbi Mordechai Shmuel Ashkenazi and residents.
This is the link http://vimeo.com/14277266
The video can be found at http://vimeo.com/14277266 without the) at the end
This is great, but the most discreet, cost effective, transparent and certainly the most dignified program assisting needy families in Israel is the FOOD CARD, a project of the Global Jewish Assisstance & Relief Network, created by Lazer Avtzon (to learn more see http://vimeo.com/14277266)
mehem yiru vechain yaasu
Lets move to Israel!
cheaper chinuch, free food, cheap rent
and Moshiach nowwwww!!
lol
This is wonderful!
But in shulchim orch it says first to help those in your community–what about all of those that cant pay here in CH
it is better that everyone not just the “truly needy” order from them. This increases their buying power and ultimately reduces the cost of goods for everyone.
And to number 10 have you never heard of friendly neighbours? What is it with people and their puerile comments
If people don’t have food, how do they have computers and internet to order the food?
This is truly Beautiful…..may you merit to wonderful thing only!!!
Good Job Yossie!!
Mr. & Mrs. Popack and family are amazing baale tzedaka. I hope one day to be able to emulate them in that capacity.
Wow! this is beautiful! To help people with dignity this way, may it only grow and grow.
How do they/will they ensure that free loaders don’t try to take advantage of the cheaper prices – how do they reserve the discount just for the truly needy?
Is her name Pnina as written in the article or Batsheva as written on the website?
Here in CH it it crazy to live…
even having food stamps it is not a normal life.
so many weeks we do our weekly shopping and guess what, the groceries kills us. we pay our last money of the month… (we both work, we pay tuition, rent and keep working for each penny!)
having days with no food……
why people can’t make an inexpensive grocery???
now everyone in kiriyat malachi is gonna order from there for the convenience can we get one in brooklyn will pay the price needed itzik?
Thank you so much, Yossi Popack. BTW in the eighth picture from the bottom, where it shows a picture of the website, Yossi Popack’s name is misspelled.