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| Spring 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 fourth edition of Food For Thought, a publication designed to provide you with information about the Mitzvah Food Project (MFP), updates on hunger issues facing our community and opportunities to get involved as an MFP advocate, volunteer, educator or recipient. We publish 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. Your Opinion Counts!
And...because successful communication and collaboration are 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 are vital components of our newsletter. So, please be in touch. 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. On behalf of everyone at Federation, we wish you a very happy Passover. We invite you to click on the image below to view a moving Passover video entitled, "Symbolism is not Enough!"
Drisana Davis
Mitzvah Food Project
Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
Lee Hillerson
Mitzvah Food Project Advisory Board Chair |
| Mitzvah Food Project Update |
The Sweet Sounds of Success!
On a memorable Saturday this past February, Temple Sholom in Broomall set the stage for Sing for THEIR Supper--A Hundred Bags of Manna, an incredibly successful evening of Cabaret Music, Fun, Food, Friends and Mitzvos! Organized by Cantor Patty Kaplan and inspired by Laurie Albert... a Temple Sholom Congregant inspired by a similar event at Or Hadash in Fort Washington...the evening featured talent from within the congregation including Family bands, Father-daughter acts, a Mandolin soloist, an in-house Klezmer band, and the Temple Sholom Choir. Read more
 Simen Tov and Mazel Tov If your son or daughter is becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, we hope you will consider a B'nai Mitzvah project that will surely help to repair the world. Replacing the centerpieces at your B'nai Mitzvah celebration with a beautiful food package for those in need is a family project that will continue to enrich the lives of recipients long after the last sounds of Simen Tov and Mazel Tov have resonated. Far more meaningful that balloons or expensive flowers, food for the hungry is an excellent way to extend the joy of a memorable event beyond the walls of your celebration. Read more |
| Newsline |
Newly Poor Swell Lines at Food Banks
By Julie Bosman
The New York Times, February 19, 2009
Once a crutch for the most needy, food pantries have responded to the deepening recession by opening their doors to ..."the next layer of people"...
Reprinted with permission of the New York Times. Click here to read article
Help for kidsOpinion Philadelphia Daily News, Feb. 10, 2009 If government had its own stock market tracking actions benefiting society, last week's reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) would have provided a record trading day. This program, which provides free or low-cost health insurance to children, was a victim of two Bush vetoes against expanding the program, even as states like Pennsylvania were doing their best to cover more kids; in fact, here the program is called "Cover All Kids," a far better philosophy than "take sick kids to the emergency room." Reprinted with permission of the Philadelphia Daily News. Click here to read article |
| Dinner Table Conversation - Feed Your Mind |
 A Great Read!
Fighting hunger without the weapon of big federal dollars is like fighting drought without water. --Joel Berg*
Anti-hunger warrior, Joel Berg, has released a timely new book in which he offers a blueprint to end domestic hunger. With the biting wit of Super Size Me and the passion of a lifelong activist, Berg has his eye on the growing number of people who are forced to wait on lines at food pantries across the nation¬--the modern breadline. Read more | |
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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
Robin Rifkin
Lainey Simonson
Mona Sutnick
Sheila Weiss
Judith Woloff
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| Volunteer Spotlight - Alicia Polak, Founder & CEO, Khaya Cookie Company |
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 Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
--Robert Frost
For Alicia Polak, before The Khaya Cookie Company became the home of irresistibly great cookies, there was a career as an investment banker...an MPA/MBA degree from NYU...a degree exchange program in Cape Town, South Africa where she fell in love with Cape Town. Eight weeks turned into eight months...an internship at the Freeplay Foundation...and a lifelong motivation to make a difference! Read More |
| Volunteer Spotlight - Avi Satlow |
 An Extraordinary Young Man!
Hi! My name is Avi Satlow and I am 15 years old. I am in ninth grade at the Crefeld School in Chestnut Hill, PA. In 2004 I worked on my first charity project, which was suggested by my mom. We cooked and served Thanksgiving dinner in a Philadelphia shelter. My interests include poker, math, and doing charity work. My first experience thinking about fairness in the world was in kindergarten when I learned about Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks.
http://home.comcast.net/~absatlow/site/
On December 23 and 24, 2008, Avi Satlow, 15, gathered 23 dedicated volunteers to prepare and deliver 117 kosher dinners for needy people living in Brith Sholom House and the Pavilion, in Philadelphia. The Mitzvah Food Project provided the contact lists of needy individuals. The delivery team included Avi's mom & dad, sister Tali, grandfather, a teacher from school, and friends with their families. Read more |
| You Can Make a Big Difference! |
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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 visit our website at www.jewishphilly.org/mfp or contact Drisana Davis at 215-832-0531 or ddavis@philafederation.org
The Mitzvah Food Project thanks all of its volunteers and its partnership with SHARE and the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger for making it possible for us 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, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, Mazon and Lincoln Financial, as well as hundreds of individual donors. 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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