Eli is an 18 year old high school student in Manhattan. After his studies, piano, working out, and spending time with his close family, Eli enjoys solving problems that have positive impact in the world. After developing the website, Balto, that sells personalized items for people who love their pets, Eli embarked on something more impactful to solve the issue of food insecurity in urban areas. He couldn’t understand why large quantities of fresh, untouched food was thrown out every day from hotels, restaurants and catering businesses, while nearby people suffered from food insecurity. His mother, Lisa Silverstein, would take Eli to volunteer in soup kitchens, serving food to families that could not afford to eat healthful meals. She would also package her own excessive food, as she loved to cook, and make sure it went to others in need. As they traveled together, Eli saw the dichotomy between excessive food waste and nearby hunger was a problem that could be solved. Eli researched the issue and found that in New York alone, over 1.2 million people face hunger every day (approximately 600,000 being children). The numbers were growing every year. Knowing hunger affects children’s school performance and rate of success bothered him. Smart kids were performing poorly due to hunger. Eli himself could not imagine what it would be like to suffer from hunger. Rather than trying to imagine, his mother suggested he do something about it that went beyond themselves.

Eli created a purpose driven digital platform to bridge the gap between food surplus and scarcity, while also promoting community service. Tikoon.org is a non profit organization with an aim to direct excess food from businesses (termed as ‘givers’) to the ‘receivers’,  being food kitchens and pantries, community centers and other organizations seen as portals for the less fortunate.

Overall, Tikoon uses technology to fight food waste and hunger in one swoop.

Eli aspires to solving important issues to help create a better, more peaceful world. He is business oriented, yet anchored by his values to help make the lives of others better. Eli feels blessed by his close family, the values passed down to him, and the will to make changes that transcend himself.