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| Fall 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 sixth 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 the 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@jfgp.org
Drisana Davis
Mitzvah Food Project
Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
Lee Hillerson
Mitzvah Food Project Advisory Board Chair |
| Mitzvah Food Project Update |
From September 1, 2008 - August 31, 2009, the Mitzvah Food Project served approximately 2,000 vulnerable households, ultimately providing over 20,000 nutritious food packages. These households include children, families, and seniors who are at high risk for food insecurity: 98% of these households live below 250% of the Federal Poverty Level; 1,288 of the individuals in these households receive at least one public benefit; 51% are seniors on fixed incomes; and 18% are children in low-income families. With your generous support and the help of other community partners in 08-09, the Mitzvah Food Project provided its ongoing food relief services to vulnerable households, including children and seniors, through its five pantry locations in Greater Philadelphia. Each site operated under a varied distribution schedule and provided an average household with 1.3 food packages and $7 in supermarket vouchers each month. However, a family of four or more or a household in crisis received four food packages per month and $20 in supermarket vouchers (with additional packages and vouchers available on a case-by-case basis.) Each package contained approximately 10 lbs of nutritionally balanced food such as canned tuna, peanut butter, canned vegetables, canned fruit, pasta, marinara sauce, etc. Food distribution occurred on a monthly, bi-monthly, or weekly basis, depending on the household need and pantry distribution schedule. Two pantry sites distributed food packages predominantly via bi-weekly volunteer deliveries. With the support of volunteers and staff, information and referral services were provided to 1,941 unduplicated households by distributing quarterly flyers and making follow-up calls. For more information about the Mitzvah Food Project or for a copy of a detailed report, please contact Drisana Davis at ddavis@jfgp.org or 215.832.0531.
Local Concert Raises $2,600 for Mitzvah Food Project
July 30, 2009
Amy PurdyJewish Federation Feature Music was on the menu at the Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy cafeteria on Sunday, July 19. The Bryn Mawr-based school was the site of an alumni concert benefiting Federation's Mitzvah Food Project. This first-time event, Harmonies for Hunger Relief, raised $2,600. Click here to read entire article |
| Newsline |
 The following Press Release from the Coalition Against Hunger demonstrates the debilitating effect of the budget impasse on hunger relief organizations and their vital services. Due to the impasse, the Mitzvah Food Project is not receiving food support through the SHARE's State Food Purchase Program, resulting in a loss of $4,000 per month (a possible total loss of $48,000 for the 2009-2010 fiscal year) in Government Funding.
August 25, 2009
Budget Impasse Threatens Local Food Pantries
Awaiting $18 million in state funding, Philadelphia pantries and soup kitchens question whether they can continue feeding their clients.
More than $18 million in state funding for Pennsylvania food pantries is tied up in Harrisburg,as Gov. Ed Rendell, Sen. Dominic Pileggi and state lawmakers continue to squabble over the state budget. The budget impasse could soon result in less food and fewer services at Philadelphia pantries and soup kitchens, which serve an estimated 152,000 of the region's most vulnerable residents, including children, seniors and people with disabilities.
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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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| Dinner Table Conversation |
OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
Big Food vs. Big Insurance
By Michael Pollan
Published: September 9, 2009
...Bringing health care costs under control ultimately depends on whether Washington can summon the political will to take on and reform the food industry.
Click here to read entire article:
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Volunteerism in US Steady Despite Recession
The number of Americans who volunteer held steady last year, defying expectations that the rising unemployment and foreclosure rates could cut into civic participation, according to a new report. The report released by the Corporation for National and Community Service found that 26.4 percent of Americans, or 61.8 million people, volunteered through a nonprofit group last year. That figure was about 1 million more than in 2007. Altogether, Americans donated approximately 8 billion hours of service, worth an estimated $162-billion.
Click here to read entire article |
| Volunteers Spotlight: Community Distribution Volunteers |
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 INTRODUCING....DON LEVINSON, Ph.D. Good intentions are nice. Personal involvement is infinitely more satisfying. --Don Levinson For Don Levinson, a corporate executive and psychologist who retired a few years ago, "packing, stacking and distributing food" at JCCs Jacob & Esther Stiffel Center has become a thoroughly enjoyable part of his life. "The staff at Stiffel Center is terrific," he says. "They are totally committed to improving the quality of life for the elderly and needy in South Philly." Read more about Don...
 INTRODUCING...THE VOLUNTEERS FROM JEVS
Working to support the students and the community is a calling.
--Alisa Bowman, Skills Trainer, JEVS Three years ago, Alisa Bowman, a Skills Trainer for JEVS' Community Learning Experience Program, discovered the Mitzvah Food Project at volunteerway.com. Dedicated to providing students with vocational and hands-on job skills, Alisa and her students knew-as soon as they met with The Mitzvah Food Project associates-that they were a perfect match. Read more about the JEVS... |
| 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@jfgp.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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