Those who donate heard of the Matzoh Fund through the Jewish media, radio and Internet but also by word of mouth and when Hirsch speaks at different shuls, mostly in Brooklyn. Every year he gets an endorsement at Rav Herschel Shechter’s shiur in the Young Israel of Midwood. “We don’t get official endorsements but a lot of rabbanim give us from their Pesach funds,” said Hirsch.

“Everybody knows about places for distributing foods for Pesach in Russia, Israel, Yerushalayim, Tel Aviv, Brooklyn, Queens,” said Hirsch. “There’s nobody in Chevron.”

“They live in the heartland and put their lives on the line,” continued Hirsch. “No one took care of them. Some of it may be political. Most don’t know how to get there. There are enough places that nobody goes, that nobody takes care of. That’s where we go. We saw the need. “

“Many of the people never had meat before,” he added. “When we started years ago, people never had meat on their table, so this is the once a year that they have it.”

He began in Maaleh Amos because his daughter lived there and they saw the need on a personal level. The town was founded about 30 years ago and is 20 minutes from Efrat. Hirsch has been going to Chevron for 19 years now for Parshat Chayay Sarah and “knows personal acquaintances who really needed it, so that’s why I went over there.”

The organization is run by a network of volunteers here and in Israel. Funds are collected here in the U.S. Hirsch and his long time friend, Jerry Pasternak, spend every Purim together, “from night to night collecting,” said Hirsch. “We have a route of people already who expect us to come on Purim. We collect until the job is done; we’re still collecting. When the job is finished I’m finished.“

“It does no good to donate food here,” said Hirsch. “In Israel we take donations of food, in America all we can take is money.” One or two families going to Israel from here for Pesach arrive early to help out. “Everything here and in Israel is zero expenses. We get money, buy the food, give the checks. Advertising, everything is donated by volunteers.”