Helping vegan and vegetarian IDF soldiers eat during the war

Published: DECEMBER 8, 2023 03:38

Updated: DECEMBER 8, 2023 10:57

Grills of Hope ‘is a passionate community dedicated to boosting the morale of IDF soldiers through the power of shared hot meals and positive energy.’ (photo credit: RALPH BRONZIN) — Grills of Hope ‘is a passionate community dedicated to boosting the morale of IDF soldiers through the power of shared hot meals and positive energy.’

(photo credit: RALPH BRONZIN)

While the Israeli public, and international community, have joined together to meet many of the soldiers' needs, non-meat-eating soldiers have struggled to eat their needed nutritional daily intake.

The Vegan Friendly Association has introduced a new project that has helped the approximately 50,000 vegan and vegetarian soldiers maintain their chosen diet while fighting against Hamas in Gaza.

The project, named Veganism in the Front, enables vegan-friendly meals and dry goods to reach IDF bases in the north and south. The project aims to provide food for 10,000 soldiers daily. The project is supported by hundreds of volunteers who cook and deliver the food.

While the Israeli public, and international community, have joined together to meet many of the soldiers' needs, non-meat-eating soldiers have struggled to eat their needed nutritional daily intake.

Despite the successful start of the project, many more soldiers require vegan or vegetarian meals. The association requested that soldiers in need of the service contact them.

Vegan and vegetarian groceries and cook books. (credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Help needed to continue the project

To maintain the service, the Vegan Friendly Association has also launched a public appeal for donations and volunteers. They have set a goal to raise NIS 500,000, and have already successfully fundraised NIS 100,000.

"Vegan Friendly needs the Israeli public, which has shown itself in full force since the beginning of the fighting, and for that we launched the recruitment campaign. For only NIS 120, you can adopt a soldier and provide him with a vegan diet for an entire month. We will make sure to reach the soldiers, deliver the food to them, make sure that They get the nutrition they need - certainly during combat - and we will continue to operate the project as long as necessary," said Omri Paz, CEO and founder of Vegan Friendly.

"The soldiers need us, and we stand by them. I call on the public not to stand on the other side, and to mobilize with us for the tens of thousands of vegetarian and vegan soldiers who need proper food these days. We still have a long way to go and we are committed to the soldiers on the front, throughout the entire period of fighting.”

To donate, visit: https://go.vegan-friendly.com/RJl4Ou