The Medical Side of Feed Tel Aviv

Recently Tiferet Yeshua hosted a first aid certification course for the volunteers of Feed Tel Aviv and other outreaches in the area. You may be asking, “Why would volunteers in a food outreach program need to be first aid certified?”

Good question.

The homeless we serve in south Tel Aviv living on the streets are more than hungry, they are extremely vulnerable to violence, sickness and disease. Because the need for physical assistance is so great among the homeless, one of our volunteers always focuses solely on first aid each time we go out to serve food.

Afraid to seek professional medical care:

The people we are trying to help have often been involved in crime and prostitution to fund their addiction. That’s why they are afraid of going to the hospital for fear that the police will be called to deal with them. That’s also why they are usually unwilling to let us call an ambulance or bring them to the ER. In serious cases, where we see that professional medical care is needed, we always try to get them to a hospital. Sometimes we succeed. However, many times we do not. This means that, very often, the help we offer is the only help they are willing to accept.

Violence at the hands of powerful drug dealers:

Some of the worst wounds we see in the homeless are from violence at the hands of drug dealers. Many of the homeless drug addicts become “cups”, or middlemen, for the drug dealers who collect money owed them. If the “cups” don’t come up with the money, for whatever reason, the drug dealers will make a point to leave people with horrific scars, often on their faces, to send a message to the others on the street.

Bodies weakened by drug use and attack:

The most common first aid that we give is disinfecting wounds. Because people’s bodies are so weakened by drug use and because they are living in unsanitary conditions, festering wounds become a persistent problem. The homeless also suffer wounds from animals, be it rats, dogs, or cats.

Over time hearts are opened:

Our motto at Feed Tel Aviv is: “Share the love of God, hope, and the gospel of salvation with the homeless in our city.”

Firstly, meeting people’s immediate physical needs in a caring and compassionate way is sharing the love of God. We tell them about drug rehabilitation centers run by believers and actively connect any who are interested, giving them hope. When serving the homeless, we always ask if they would like prayer, opening the door to share who we are and in whose name we pray. Some want prayer, and some don’t.

However, I don’t lose hope for those who refuse prayer at first. Over time, seeing us return month after month, year after year, many begin to open up to us. They often point out that they received food and first aid from us for a long time before they felt comfortable sharing their stories and being willing to hear about what brings us to the streets to serve them – the love of God and the message of salvation!