The streets and buses of Yerushalayim throbbed with life this week as thousands of people converged on Rechov Baharan to take part in Mesamche Lev’s massive Sukkos distribution. They came clutching precious coupons and cards, and left laden with cases of meat, poultry, and more.

Bnos Yerushalayim hall, the site of the distribution, was transformed into a giant butcher emporium, with massive freezers lining the walls and a team of dedicated volunteers assisting the huge crowds. In the days leading up to the distribution, huge trailers unloaded one hundred skids containing many tons of meat and poultry. A cadre of volunteers unloaded the meat and repacked it into individual boxes containing the exact cuts each family pre-ordered.

The distribution was extremely orderly and dignified. Recipients were assisted by volunteers who used a high-tech computer system to locate their orders. They “paid” with Mesamche Lev coupons, or by swiping Mesamche Lev prepaid magnetic strip cards. Thousands of participants also received grocery coupons entitling them to hundreds of shekels in free groceries, redeemable at local stores.

The Israeli distribution assisted many thousands of families, including four hundred sixty six widows, thousands of orphans, hundreds of Torah scholars, and thousands of other desperately poor families. Many of the families are so poor; they consider meat a rare treat and eat just a bit of chicken on Shabbos. It is not unusual for a family to stretch a single chicken to last four weeks; putting one quarter into the Shabbos soup for the entire family to share, and freezing the remainder.

Mesamche Lev’s distribution gives families the joy of eating full portions of meat and chicken; delicacies that are otherwise unattainable for the poor. The organization’s founder, Harav Zalman Ashkenazi, zatzal, believed that every child should have meat for Yom Tov – and insisted on distributing it directly to families, instead of giving them money, which would in all likelihood be spent on necessities such as rent and utilities. Reb Zalman, zatzal, also placed a major emphasis on preserving the dignity of recipients. That is why Mesamche Lev goes to such lengths to ensure that the distribution is orderly and pleasant.

Thanks to their efforts, there will be plenty of meat and chicken for the entire holiday. Tens of thousands of children are already anticipating Yom Tov meals that will allow them to eat delicious food, and leave the table sated and happy. At the distribution, a spirit of joy and excitement filled the air as children helped wheel strollers and shopping carts laden with precious cargo.

"Remember we had meat once on Yom Tov?" one little girl said to her sister. "It was like - like - the best thing. I wiped my plate clean with challah. Now we're going to have it again."

The excitement was not reserved for children. The adults were effusive in their thanks. One widow called the office to let the administration know just what the chalukah meant to her.

“We always had lots of food on Yom Tov, but this year my husband is gone, and everything is different," she said. "I'm so excited with the meat. Somehow, having a good meal with meat tells the children that Yom Tov is still Yom Tov, our family is still a family."

The meat distribution was one part of a massive Chodesh Tishrei effort to alleviate poverty and bring joy to thousands in need. It came on the heels of a holiday check distribution that reached nearly seven hundred widows in Eretz Yisroel and the United States. Four hundred sixty six Israeli widows and two hundred and nine American widows received generous checks that eased the considerable burden of preparing for Yom Tov alone.

At the same time that Mesamche Lev distributed meat, poultry, groceries, and funds for Sukkos, the organization began paying for its mega Pesach distribution. Mesamche Lev already made an advance deposit of a quarter of a million dollars to shoe companies which will deliver shoes for forty two thousand children, and is in contact with six matzah bakeries to finalize arrangements to sell over fifty thousand pounds of matzah at less than half price.

The Tishrei distribution was made possible by generous donors from the United States, UK, Europe, and beyond who wished to take part in this massive effort to bring simchas Yom Tov to their brethren in Eretz Yisroel. Many donors sponsored meat coupons for one or more families; fulfilling their obligation to provide tzorchei Yom Tov to the poor. Others had the great zechus of contributing larger amounts and helping more families. The donors included many former talmidim who learned in Eretz Yisroel and witnessed both the grinding poverty and Mesamche Lev’s efforts to alleviate it.

“In America, you don’t see this poverty,” said one donor who often visited families while he was learning in Eretz Yisroel. “It hurt me to see homes where the children literally go hungry. When they invited me for a Shabbos meal, I refused, because I felt like I would be taking food out of the children's mouths.” He expressed his joy at being able to help .

“I remember the kids with their big, hungry eyes, and I feel like I'm sending them real food. It's an amazing feeling.” The sentiment is shared by the thousands of donors who fulfilled their obligation of helping the poor with their holiday needs, by donating to Mesamche Lev.

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