JERUSALEM (JTA) — Youth movements throughout Israel will send teams of teens to pick excess fruit from trees in people’s gardens for distribution to the needy in honor of Tu b’Shvat.
Some 1,000 children and teens will participate in the event, dubbed Sayaret Tapuz, or Project Citrus Rescue. The event, in its fifth year, is coordinated by Leket Israel, a national food bank and food rescue network.
Tu b’Shvat will be celebrated this year on Wednesday. The teens began collecting the fruit on Sunday.
“It is a wonderful opportunity to involve the youth in a hands-on activity to benefit those less fortunate and to mark Tu b’Shvat, the celebration of the trees, in a truly meaningful way,” Joseph Gitler, Leket Israel’s founder and chairman, said in a statement.
