Yad Ezra

What Yad Ezra does

Yad Ezra is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit food pantry founded in 1990 and headquartered at 2850 W. 11 Mile Road in Berkley, Michigan. Its mission is to provide kosher food and related household items to Jewish individuals and families in Southeastern Michigan who are experiencing food insecurity. The organization currently distributes approximately 50 food items per household — including kosher meat staples such as chicken, ground turkey, and salmon, plus groceries, health care items, and holiday-specific foods for Passover, Rosh Hashanah, and Thanksgiving — to roughly 1,600 families (approximately 3,600 individuals) each month, up from 250 families in its first year of operation.\n\nThe core service stack comprises a monthly food pantry (walk-in, drive-through, and Sunday homebound delivery channels), a Giving Gardens agricultural program operating on over an acre of land at a partner church site that produces fresh produce distributed weekly to 60+ client households during growing season, and a Garden Resource Program that supplied seeds, transplants, compost, and tool sharing to 220 households in 2025. Supporting programs include holiday food distributions, a volunteer engagement and Speakers Bureau, advocacy and outreach, and a retail round-up / community rewards giving channel via Kroger, Meijer, AmazonSmile, iGive.com, and Mission Fish. Strategic supply and land-use partnerships include Gleaners Food Bank (Fresh Market), Adamah Farms (harvest shares), Our Lady of LaSalette Church (growing land), and Growing Pontiac (educational classes).\n\nThe organization operates with 1–10 paid staff and a large volunteer base, and is funded through individual donations, foundation grants (including the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation), annual fundraising events, food drives, and retail giving programs. Yad Ezra markets to donors and volunteers via its website, Constant Contact email newsletters, Facebook, and Instagram. There is no proprietary technology platform; the website uses standard content management and analytics tooling.

Name

Yad Ezra

Legal name

Yad Ezra

Website

https://yadezra.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Yad Ezra is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit food pantry founded in 1990 that distributes kosher groceries monthly to about 1,600 Jewish families facing food insecurity in Southeastern Michigan, supported by a Giving Gardens agricultural program and volunteer network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Food Assistance Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food Services (624210)

akta.pro primary industry

Religious & Cultural Foods Wholesale (Halal, Kosher, etc.) (AFAIAIAI)

Keywords

• Kosher food assistance
• Food pantry services
• Hunger relief
• Nonprofit food distribution
• Community food support

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Yad Ezra relies on individual donors, memorial gifts, tribute donations, and general fund contributions from community members.
2. Fundraising Events: Annual fundraising events including the Annual Fundraising Dinner, golf outings, and special appeals throughout the year.
3. Grants: Foundation grants from organizations such as the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation.
4. Food Drives: Collection of food donations through community food drives and corporate giving programs.
5. Retail Giving Programs: Income from Kroger Community Rewards, Meijer Community Rewards, AmazonSmile, iGive.com, and Mission Fish eBay program.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Yad Ezra provides monthly kosher food distribution to Jewish families facing food insecurity in Southeastern Michigan, supplying approximately 50 grocery, health care, and household items per family to about 1,600 households (3,600+ individuals) each month. The organization supplements its food pantry with the Giving Gardens agricultural program (producing fresh produce on over an acre of land), a Garden Resource Program for home gardening, holiday-specific kosher food for Jewish celebrations, and home delivery for homebound clients, all at no cost to eligible recipients.

Product overview

Yad Ezra is a nonprofit food pantry organization offering a unified set of food assistance and community support services. The core offering is the food pantry, which distributes groceries monthly to approximately 1,600 families (3,600 individuals). Supporting services include the Giving Gardens agricultural program (producing fresh produce on over an acre of land with weekly distributions), a Garden Resource Program (seeds/tools for community gardening), volunteer coordination, advocacy outreach, and holiday food programs. The organization also offers retail-based giving programs through partner retailers. All services are integrated to address food insecurity within the Jewish community of Southeastern Michigan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Giving Gardens: Agricultural program that grows fruits, vegetables, and herbs on over an acre of land, hosts weekly Garden Fresh Distribution during growing season, and offers garden resource program with seeds, transplants, and tool sharing for clients and community.

Products and services

• Food Pantry Services Monthly kosher food distribution program providing groceries, health care items, and household goods to eligible Jewish families in Southeastern Michigan. Clients select from approximately 50 items typically distributed, including meat staples (chicken, ground turkey, salmon) and fresh items via the Fresh Market.
• Giving Gardens Program Agricultural production and education program that grows fresh produce on over an acre of land for distribution to Yad Ezra clients and the community, including a weekly Garden Fresh Distribution serving 60+ client households during the growing season.
• Garden Resource Program Program providing seeds, transplants, compost, and tool-sharing resources to clients and community members to enable home gardening and greater food self-sufficiency.
• Fresh Market Program Program providing additional fresh produce and dairy items to client families on a weekly basis through the Gleaners Food Bank partnership, increasing nutritional variety within the charitable food system.
• Holiday Food Programs Seasonal kosher food distributions and essential items tailored for Jewish holiday celebrations including Passover, Rosh Hashanah, and Thanksgiving.
• Sunday Delivery Program Volunteer delivery service that brings two boxes and two bags of food to homebound clients who are unable to visit the pantry in person.
• Drive-Through Window Service Drive-through pickup channel at the Berkley headquarters allowing clients to receive food without leaving their vehicles.
• Advocacy and Education Outreach and education programs raising awareness about food insecurity, including the Speakers Bureau educating youth groups, clubs, and classes about Yad Ezra's mission and hunger in the Jewish community.
• Speakers Bureau Volunteer-led speaking program that educates youth groups, clubs, and classes about Yad Ezra's mission, food insecurity, and Jewish community needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 1,600 families (3,600+ individuals) monthly with food assistance
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gleaners Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYad Ezra has a partnership with Gleaners Food Bank for the Fresh Market program. Gleaners provides additional produce and fresh milk at no charge. Yad Ezra supplements with additional fresh food purchases as needed. This partnership increases nutrition in the charitable food system by providing more produce and dairy items to client families on a weekly basis.
• Our Lady of LaSalette ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe church allows Yad Ezra to grow on over an acre of their land just a few blocks from Yad Ezra's main building. This partnership has increased production exponentially and makes up a significant portion of growing space. It serves as an interfaith bridge-builder between Jewish and Catholic communities.
• Adamah FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough strategic donor investment, Yad Ezra purchases harvest shares from Adamah Farms in Detroit. This innovative program provides fresh, local produce to food-insecure Jewish families. For every two shares purchased by Yad Ezra, the farm provides an additional share for food-insecure families in Detroit.
• Growing PontiacminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYad Ezra has a relationship with Growing Pontiac, a community resource with whom they offer garden and food-related classes in both Berkley and Pontiac.
• KrogerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKroger Community Rewards program allows shoppers to register their Plus Card to support Yad Ezra with automatic donations.
• MeijerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMeijer Community Rewards program allows shoppers to join and support Yad Ezra with automatic donations.
• AmazonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmazonSmile program allows shoppers to support Yad Ezra through automatic donations when shopping at smile.amazon.com.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• The Food Bank of Eastern Michigan: Regional food bank serving Eastern Michigan with hunger-relief distribution programs. Operates in the same broader geography as Yad Ezra and competes for donor attention and grant funding in the regional anti-hunger space.
• Food Gatherers: Washtenaw County, Michigan food rescue and distribution organization that supplies pantries and meal programs. Operates as a peer regional food bank within Michigan and shares similar donor and volunteer constituencies.
• Jewish Family Service of Metropolitan Detroit: Regional social services agency serving the Detroit-area Jewish community with counseling, food assistance, and senior services. Overlaps with Yad Ezra in serving Jewish families in Southeastern Michigan and shares referral and donor constituencies.
• Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit: Regional umbrella organization that convenes Jewish agencies, raises communal funds, and coordinates programming across the Detroit area. Overlaps in donor base, mission alignment, and potential grant funding for Yad Ezra.

Broad incumbents

• Gleaners Community Food Bank: Southeastern Michigan's largest regional food bank, distributing food through a partner agency network. Already a core supplier to Yad Ezra via the Fresh Market program and serves as a strategic incumbent in the same food distribution ecosystem.
• Forgotten Harvest: Metro Detroit food rescue organization that collects surplus food and redistributes it to pantries and meal programs. Operates as a regional incumbent in food recovery and distribution, with overlapping geographic footprint and partner agency relationships.

Direct peers

• MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger: National Jewish anti-hunger advocacy and grantmaking organization that funds food banks serving kosher and broader populations. Directly comparable mission of addressing Jewish food insecurity and partnering with food pantries, though operating at a national policy and grantmaking level rather than direct distribution.
• Tomchei Shabbos: Network of kosher food pantries operating across multiple U.S. metro areas, providing Shabbos and holiday food packages to Jewish families in need. Comparable to Yad Ezra as a kosher-focused community food distribution organization with volunteer-led operations.
• Sova Food Bank: Los Angeles-based kosher food pantry serving Jewish and other families facing food insecurity. Operates a similar model of culturally specific food distribution with volunteer-driven pantry operations and a comparable mission to Yad Ezra.

Others

• Adamah Farms: Jewish educational farm in Detroit that provides harvest shares to Yad Ezra and other food-insecure families. Functions as an upstream supplier/partner in Yad Ezra's fresh-produce supply chain rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/YadEzra
• Instagraminstagram.com/yad.ezra
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yadezra

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yad Ezra