Russian-Jewish Businessman Donates 3,000 Meals Daily To Senior Citizens Under Lockdown

RUSSIA (JTA) — Viktor Vekselberg, a Russian-Jewish businessman, is providing 3,000 free meals a day to Russians older than 65 in lockdown over the coronavirus.

Vekselberg’s free meals project, which began last week, is set to continue until the end of April, his office wrote in a statement. The initiative is a response to the Russian government’s decision to order all citizens older than 65 to go into lockdown.

The disease is “the worst challenge humankind has faced in the 21st century, and all must join forces to save human lives – governments, businesses, and public institutions,” the statement read.

The meals are prepared by the Airports of Regions firm, where Vekselberg’s firm Renova is a major shareholder, and delivered to the homes of seniors based on their level of need.

The meal sets are prepared daily by catering services based in the airports of the Russian cities of Yekaterinburg, Samara, Nizhny Novgorod and Rostov-on-Don.