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Canadian Jews Perform Mitzvahs

Does this ever happen to you? You have this great idea, but instead of realizing it, you just sit on your ass and do nothing? And then somebody else does it, and you bitch and moan about how you came up with that idea years ago?

Well, that happened to me this weekend, except instead of feeling all left in the dust, I'll just give praise to the Queen's University Hillel.They initiated a program called Soul Food, where volunteer students take untouched, leftover food from the dining hall to the Street Mission Truck, a hollowed-out truck where homeless people can go to get warm and fed.

Excess meals are always on hand after donating to the truck, so the volunteers bring the rest to a local shelter. The meals are given to a different shelter each time, so they do not create dependence, said Tyler Peikes, one of the program’s creators.

According to Peikes, the idea for the Soul Food program was born when a number of Queen’s students attended a conference for the Canadian Federation of Jewish Students. One of the subjects of the conference was giving back to the community.

The students were inspired, and began looking for a cause to help out with around Kingston. They decided to target homelessness with their volunteer efforts because it is a visible problem, said Peikes. They looked at the work of the Ve’ahavta, a non-profit organization that runs a number of international humanitarian projects, as well as work in Toronto.

So much food goes to waste every day from restaurants and college cafeterias and large, catered events. Shouldn't this type of program exist in more places?

 

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