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| Winter 2009
A publication of The Mitzvah Food Project
Center for Social Responsibility, Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia |
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| Greetings! |
 Welcome to our third edition of Food For Thought, a publication designed to provide you with information about the Mitzvah Food Project (MFP), as well as updates on hunger issues facing our community and opportunities to get involved as an MFP advocate, volunteer, educator or recipient. We'll be publishing quarterly, bringing you news and views about MFP and the volunteers who make it all possible.
Please help us spread the word and invite your co-workers, friends and family to visit our website at www.jewishphilly.org/mfp and sign up to receive the Food For Thought e-mail newsletter.
Drisana Davis Mitzvah Food Project Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia Lee Hillerson
Mitzvah Food Project Advisory Board Chair YOUR OPINION COUNTS
Because successful communication and collaboration is fundamental to the success of our program, we are hoping that Food For Thought will serve as a "two way street." Your contributions, comments and observations will be vital components of our newsletter. So, we'd love to hear from you. If you have ideas about articles, information that you'd like to see us highlight, reflections on Mitzvah Food Project activities, or commentary on Food For Thought articles, please email ddavis@philafederation.org. |
| Mitzvah Food Project Update |
In the 2007-2008 program year, the Mitzvah Food Project's goals included Hunger Relief, Awareness about Hunger, and The Development of Critical Resources.
Toward achieving those goals, MFP provided ongoing food relief to more than 1,000 vulnerable households every month and maintained a client population of 48% seniors and 23% children. Click here for more... |
| Dinner Table Conversation - Feed Your Mind |
Food Banks Finding Aid in Bounty of Backyard
A small but expanding movement of backyard "fruit philanthropists" are finding solutions to America's food crisis in their backyards!
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Mitzvah Food Project Advisory Board Lee Hillerson, Chair
Peggy Carver, Esq.
Nina Cohen
Drisana Davis
Ruth Firth
Jerrold Frezel
Madelyn Karasick
Mary Kirsch
Ruth Laibson
Janet Levin
Cookie Perilstein
Robin Rifkin
Lainey Simonson
Mona Sutnick
Sheila Weiss
Judith Woloff
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| Make Your Voice Heard! |
Hunger Education Video-Thank You P.H.A.T.!
This past September, the Mitzvah Food Project teamed up with a group of dedicated students from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, the world's first collegiate business school. Eight freshmen from Management 100, the foundation of The Undergraduate Leadership Program, chose the Mitzvah Food Project as their group's community service project; these students soon became known as the Philadelphia Hunger Awareness Team (P.H.A.T.). Click here to read more and to find out what YOU can do to advocate for hunger relief. |
| Volunteer Spotlight - Ilise Posner |
 Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to
home-so close and so small they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person... Such are the places where every man, woman and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerned citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world. -Eleanor Roosevelt
Stamping out hunger in our community is difficult, but by contributing as a group, we can make a difference.
--Allan Posner
For the Posner family's annual Sukkah Party, Ilise Posner had a brilliant idea. Inspired by Rabbi Gregory S. Marx, spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Or, Ilise, a 7th grade student at Sandy Run Middle School, invited guests to bring bags of non-perishable foods-cereals, canned fruits and veggies, pastas, juices, peanut butter and soup-for those in our community who are hungry, instead of desserts for the guests! Click here to read more - plus meet Erica Goldberg, our new AmeriCorps VISTA and read a letter we received that will warm your heart. |
| You Can Make a Big Difference! |
Here at the Mitzvah Food Project, we bring people together to perform mitzvot (good deeds) and to do gemilut hasadim (acts of loving kindness). Though the MFP is serving an increasing number of clients, there is still much we must do to reduce hunger and malnutrition in our community.
If you would like to make a donation to the Mitzvah Food Project, volunteer at one of our five pantry sites, or find out more about our program, please contact Drisana Davis at 215-832-0531 or ddavis@philafederation.org
The Mitzvah Food Project thanks all of its volunteers for making it possible for our hunger relief project/program to meet the most basic needs of Greater Philadelphia's at-risk community members.
We would also like to express our gratitude to our generous sponsors, Mazon, W.W. Smith and Bank of America, etc. Thank you for your invaluable support! | |
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| The mission of the Mitzvah Food Project is to alleviate hunger and malnutrition in a caring and dignified manner, and to educate and advocate on behalf of those in need. The Project works in partnership with volunteers and community groups, spearheaded by synagogues and Jewish organizations. | |
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