Manna UK Branch of Meir Panim

03/08/2026

Ask who chopped tonight's vegetables at our Or Akiva branch and the answer probably isn't a member of staff.

Researchers at Hebrew University say Israel has one of the most organised volunteer cultures anywhere, especially in hard times. This summer our branches have welcomed volunteers from as far as Oregon, alongside local groups from the Promedico medical company and girls from Kfar Haroeh preparing for their Bat Mitzvah.

Over 7,000 volunteers give their time to Meir Panim each year, some from down the road, some from thousands of miles away. They cook, they serve, they deliver, they sit and talk.

Fancy joining them for a few hours? Find out how to volunteer with us: https://www.mannauk.org

21/07/2026

"Meir Panim means 'lighting up faces,' and that's not just a cute catchphrase. It's the question we ask every time someone reaches out to us: "How can we light up this person's day, this week, this life?"

Sometimes the answer is a hot meal at one of our five Restaurant-Style soup kitchens. Sometimes it's a delivery through our meals on wheels program, a holiday pantry box, or a seat at a community Shabbat dinner.

But sometimes the need is something you wouldn't expect from a food assistance nonprofit. When we deliver food to a Holocaust survivor, she mentions her refrigerator stopped working, so we find her one. A family tells us their kids are sleeping on the floor, so we track down beds. An elderly couple says their front door lock is broken and they can't afford to fix it - we find a locksmith willing to do it for free.

We don't have an official program for everything we do. But we do have people on the ground, listening closely, showing up fully, and helping thousands of Israelis every day.

That is Meir Panim.
Lighting up faces, one person at a time.

Donate and be a part of helping Israel's needy today: www.mannauk.org

13/07/2026

We know that this isn't the most interesting photo. It's a wall. But it's a wall that means everything to our patrons in Dimona.

After the missile attacks in March, the branch needed careful repair. Thanks to a generous gift through Manna UK, new wall cladding is now in place, and patrons are once again sitting down to lunch in a dining hall that feels like home.

A meal at Meir Panim is never just a meal. It is sustenance for people who might otherwise go without. It is the company of others who care. And it is the support that helps someone get back on their feet.

To everyone who has given to Manna UK over the past year: thank you. Moments like this in Dimona happen because of you.

More than a meal.
Give today: https://www.mannauk.org

09/07/2026

There's a group of students in Or Akiva who could be doing anything with their summer. This week they chose to spend it helping Meir Panim.

They helped with our Free Shuk, where families are given the dignity of picking their own fresh produce rather than take a fixed parcel.

These young volunteers first came to us through their schools. Now they come back in the holidays, because they want to. They made our week.

You can help keep the shelves full this summer: https://www.mannauk.org

Help MannaUK win the fight against poverty in Israel, we can’t do it without you. Help us deliver more hot meals, provide children with after school clubs and help families who have nowhere else to go.

25/06/2026

Every Friday evening in Or Akiva, the lights go on and the tables are laid.
Elderly neighbours arrive first. Then families. Then people who, for one reason or another, would otherwise be on their own tonight.
Not a soup kitchen. A Shabbat table.
Over a quarter of Israeli families now struggle to put food on their own table. That includes 1.3 million children. So a meal shared in community is more than dinner. It's the reminder that nobody has to face Friday night alone.
The Or Akiva Shabbat dinners are growing week by week. Word of mouth, one neighbour bringing another. That's how it should be.
This Friday will be no different.
If you'd like to help keep the candles lit and the tables set, you can support Meir Panim through Manna UK at https://www.mannauk.org
Shabbat Shalom.

10/06/2026

Every year, thousands of British Jews land in Israel for a holiday. Most never picture spending a morning of it chopping vegetables in a Meir Panim kitchen — but the ones who do usually say it was the best part of their trip.
Even now, with everything still uncertain across the region, the food centres stay open. Someone has to keep them running.
More than 7,000 people give their time to Meir Panim every year, and they come from everywhere. Last month it was Jolene, who flew in from Oregon and got stuck in at our Tiberias branch. It was local workers who turn up again and again, because to them it's simply what you do.
You don't need experience. You don't even need much Hebrew — one of our regulars in Tiberias is still working on her English. A few hours and a willingness to help is enough.
If you're heading to Israel in the coming monthsT and want to do something that genuinely matters, come and volunteer with us for a morning.
To find out more and register your interest visit www.mannauk.org

05/06/2026

Great news! We're back in the dining hall in Dimona.

In March, an Iranian missile tore into our city in the southern desert. Buildings collapsed, families were evacuated, and our Meir Panim centre here was badly damaged. For weeks, the space sat empty.
This week that changed. Once the safety checks were done, we were given permission to return and our doors are open again to the people who count on us.

Nothing about the building is settled yet. The municipality, engineers and national government are still deciding whether it can be repaired or must be demolished and rebuilt. For now, we're staying put and keeping the space welcoming and dignified. Whatever they decide, we'll keep you posted.

Our courtyard lost its roof in the attack. That's where we sort and pack produce for the weekly Free Shuk, and it isn't scheduled for repair yet.

We've got the doors open again, help us keep them that way. Donate today.

Thank you for standing with Dimona.
Donate: https://donorbox.org/dimona


(Pict of volunteers packing food)

02/06/2026

This week, schools along the Lebanon border are closed. Sirens are sounding across northern Israel. Families are living with a level of uncertainty that most of us can barely imagine.
And in the middle of all of that, people still need to eat.

Meir Panim's food centres don't close when things get hard. That's the point of them.

Designed to feel like a restaurant, not a charity, each of our 5 centres serves hot, nutritious meals to people going through the worst of times — without making them feel it. No queues of shame. Just a meal, served with dignity, often by a volunteer who knows your name.

Last year, more than a million hot meals were served across Meir Panim's network thanks to the support of kind donors.

You can give today at www.mannauk.org

29/05/2026

If you've been invited out for a meal this Shabbat, you're probably thinking about what to bring.
Here's an idea. Send your host a Manna UK eCard instead of wine or flowers. They get a message in your name, wishing them Shabbat Shalom. And your donation funds a Shabbat meal at the Meir Panim centre in Or Akiva — for someone who wouldn't have one otherwise.
Your host gets the gesture. A family in Israel gets Shabbat.
👉 Send a Shabbat eCard: mannauk.org/giftameal
Shabbat Shalom 🕯️