The Young Woman Organizing Gift Deliveries for Sanitation Workers: "They are Invisible"

It's hard not to feel the satisfaction in Mor Kalonfeld's voice, a young woman behind an initiative to send 70 Purim gift baskets to sanitation workers in the city of Modiin. "This is the first time I am leading such an effort," she says, "and honestly, it makes me feel really good." Her excitement is evident in her voice when she talks about it.

According to her, the idea is not originally hers. "I saw that there's a similar initiative in Herzliya and thought to bring it to Modiin as well," she explains. "My feeling is that the holiday of Purim is approaching, and every year we are used to organizing gift baskets for the elderly or the lonely. That is of course very important, but it's precisely the sanitation workers in the city, who take care of our health every day, that we often forget. Throughout the year they are almost invisible, and among us, who stops to thank them? I decided to try to raise a unique project where the city's residents would send gift baskets specifically to the sanitation workers."

How is this project being implemented?

Mor explains that she contacted the sanitation department in the municipality and received a list of about 70 workers. Then she reached out to the city residents through various WhatsApp groups and invited them to prepare gift baskets that would be delivered directly to the sanitation workers.

"The reactions I received were very warm," she recounts. "Most of those who sent me baskets are private families, but there was also a kindergarten teacher from a special education class who informed me she would prepare a very special delivery with the children, because she sees additional value in educating them about gratitude and appreciation. There were also many parents who noted that their children were the ones who prepared the baskets because they really connected with the idea."

How many deliveries have you collected so far?

"As of this moment, I am nearing my goal and have collected more than 60 gift baskets. It's important to me that each worker receives a respectable and beautiful delivery."

Mor mentions that she herself plans to visit the sanitation department to deliver the baskets to the workers before Purim. "The sanitation department told me they've never seen anything like this, and I am sure that in the end, the workers will really enjoy it. The deliveries we received are very special, and there are seventy families behind them who truly gave their heart."