Hands on tzedakah
Encyclopedia
Hands On Tzedakah is a 501 (c) 3 public charity headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida
. Founded in 2003, the organization provides funding for various social service programs in the United States
, Israel
and other countries. HOT is unique in that there are no administrative expenses - 100% of each contribution goes to directly to projects helping those in need.
HOT's primary focus is to support essential safety-net programs addressing hunger
, poverty
, health care
and disaster relief. HOT assists programs providing support to the economically disadvantaged, disabled, elderly, and victims of abuse and terrorism
. HOT also provides scholarship support to students in need.
One program which HOT administers in Israel is "Sandwiches for Schools" through Table to Table. In 2008, over 1700 sandwiches were provided every day to 29 schools in the center of Israel. Table to Table volunteers and partners meet every morning at 5 separate locations to prepare the lunch meal: a sandwich, paid for by Hands on Tzedakah, accompanied by fruit and vegetables "rescued" by Table to Table through its Project Leket, a produce harvesting initiative that has seen over 1,000,000 kilograms of fruits and vegetables "saved" over the last two years.
Sandwiches for Schools provides in 2009 over 3,000 sandwiches daily, and is the largest program of its kind in Israel. "Hands On Tzedakah" has been fighting hunger in Israel for the last 4 years, providing food packages to indigent family members of the Israeli Border Patrol, to poor families, to soup kitchens and to youth centers. "Expanding the initiative was important for our donors, so we approached Table to Table", says Ron Gallatin, co-founder of Hands on Tzedakah. Ronald Gallatin paraphrases a statement made by a friend: "You spend one third of your life learning, one third of your life earning and one third of your life returning." However, Gallatin says "My plan is a quarter, a quarter and a half."
HOT connects the donors with the recipients and facilitates communication between the donors and the projects. In addition, HOT listens to the donor, seeking out new initiatives that are important to him/her. Whenever possible, donor dollars are leveraged through matching funds from other donors and organizations.
The initial criteria for funding requires that the project or need meet the parameters of the mission statement. If a program meets these parameters then prior to any substantial program funding, HOT engages in a "Hands On" process by researching the program and obtaining and reviewing information on budget
s and other financial information, including tax returns and accounting reports. Also, there is a belief that utilizing volunteers is essential.
In cases where funds are distributed to individual intermediaries who have developed programs that meet the criteria, HOT insists upon an on-going interaction with regular financial and operating reports to Hands On Tzedakah so that there is satisfaction that the funds allocated to them are used as intended.
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Founded in 2003, the organization provides funding for various social service programs in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and other countries. HOT is unique in that there are no administrative expenses - 100% of each contribution goes to directly to projects helping those in need.
Activities
As of June 30, 2009, Hands On Tzedakah had raised and distributed over $5,000,000 to support more than 100 projects in the United States, in Israel, and in other parts of the world. These projects have provided services to more than 25,000 individuals.HOT's primary focus is to support essential safety-net programs addressing hunger
Hunger
Hunger is the most commonly used term to describe the social condition of people who frequently experience the physical sensation of desiring food.-Malnutrition, famine, starvation:...
, poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
and disaster relief. HOT assists programs providing support to the economically disadvantaged, disabled, elderly, and victims of abuse and terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
. HOT also provides scholarship support to students in need.
One program which HOT administers in Israel is "Sandwiches for Schools" through Table to Table. In 2008, over 1700 sandwiches were provided every day to 29 schools in the center of Israel. Table to Table volunteers and partners meet every morning at 5 separate locations to prepare the lunch meal: a sandwich, paid for by Hands on Tzedakah, accompanied by fruit and vegetables "rescued" by Table to Table through its Project Leket, a produce harvesting initiative that has seen over 1,000,000 kilograms of fruits and vegetables "saved" over the last two years.
Sandwiches for Schools provides in 2009 over 3,000 sandwiches daily, and is the largest program of its kind in Israel. "Hands On Tzedakah" has been fighting hunger in Israel for the last 4 years, providing food packages to indigent family members of the Israeli Border Patrol, to poor families, to soup kitchens and to youth centers. "Expanding the initiative was important for our donors, so we approached Table to Table", says Ron Gallatin, co-founder of Hands on Tzedakah. Ronald Gallatin paraphrases a statement made by a friend: "You spend one third of your life learning, one third of your life earning and one third of your life returning." However, Gallatin says "My plan is a quarter, a quarter and a half."
HOT connects the donors with the recipients and facilitates communication between the donors and the projects. In addition, HOT listens to the donor, seeking out new initiatives that are important to him/her. Whenever possible, donor dollars are leveraged through matching funds from other donors and organizations.
The initial criteria for funding requires that the project or need meet the parameters of the mission statement. If a program meets these parameters then prior to any substantial program funding, HOT engages in a "Hands On" process by researching the program and obtaining and reviewing information on budget
Budget
A budget is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods...
s and other financial information, including tax returns and accounting reports. Also, there is a belief that utilizing volunteers is essential.
In cases where funds are distributed to individual intermediaries who have developed programs that meet the criteria, HOT insists upon an on-going interaction with regular financial and operating reports to Hands On Tzedakah so that there is satisfaction that the funds allocated to them are used as intended.