Tzedakah We Love: Fight Hunger Here and in Israel

You know how empty the refrigerator is when you come back from a long vacation and you haven’t gone grocery shopping yet? Looking at my empty fridge always makes me feel guilty about not doing more in the fight against hunger. Hunger is one of those basic problems that I find incredibly overwhelming, but that I also feel really compelled to do something about. So every year I try to give some time and money to a few great Jewish charities that fight hunger. Meir Panim is an amazing and huge charity in Israel dedicated to providing vital food and social services to the needy via 30 relief centers. A few years ago I was part of a volunteering mission in Israel and we did some awesome work at a free restaurant run by Meir Panim. They run a tight ship, and provide for hundreds every day. Definitely worth a contribution if you have some cash, or a few hours of volunteering if you have some free time the next time you’re in Israel.

In the States, we have Mazon, which does everything from raising money and distributing food directly, to running advocacy programs that help bring attention and resources to the problem. And because I’m from Chicago I know of two amazing programs in Chicago that do great work fighting hunger and that always need volunteers to do some hard work (read: a good way to help out even if you’re strapped for cash). There’s the Uptown Café, which provides kosher hot meals in a restaurant-style setting to Jews and non-Jews alike. You can donate money, or volunteer to be a waiter/waitress. And there’s Maot Chitim, a program that gives boxes of kosher food to underprivileged Jewish families before Pesach and Rosh HaShana. They always need help packing and delivering boxes.