MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger

MAZON co-sponsors On1Foot

Michelle Stuffmann — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:36:59 +0000

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger is proud to announce its co-sponsorship of On1Foot (On1Foot.com), a web portal for Jewish text and educational resources that enables Jewish clergy, educators and activists to broaden and deepen their conversations about the intersection of Judaism and social justice.

We have just shared our first dvar torah (click here to check it out), which is now available for you to learn or teach. In the coming months, MAZON will contribute at least 50 unique pieces of hunger-related content for the site, including texts and text studies, lesson plans and divrei Torah. And moving forward, we are committed to sharing additional content as we create it – so feel free to check back often.

We hope you will find On1Foot to be a valuable and inspirational resource.

Spring 2012 Grantees – the list is out!

Michelle Stuffmann — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:07:53 +0000

This Spring, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger awarded more than $1.6 million in partnership grants to 96 anti-hunger organizations in the United States and Israel. You can find the full list here.

*Note: MAZON recently split its grantmaking into two cycles – this announcement represents the first cycle of 2012. Recipients of partnership grants for the second cycle will be announced this Summer.

MAZON is hiring: Communications Manager

Michelle Stuffmann — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 20:15:21 +0000

Reports to: Director of Outreach & Communications

Summary: The Communications Manager works closely with the Director of Outreach & Communications to develop and implement strategies and tactics across all media and platforms, with the goal of building awareness of and regard for the organization and its work. S/he will contribute to the development and consistent delivery of MAZON’s branding, messaging and other marketing and communications strategies. The Communications Manager will serve as an ambassador for MAZON and also help to identify, establish and maintain collaborative and productive partnerships with appropriate individuals, organizations and businesses.

Key Responsibilities/Essential Functions

Develop, write, design and execute newsletters, annual report and other printed materials (brochures, programs, promotional items) to support MAZON’s development, education and advocacy efforts.
Oversee all web communications (MAZON website, social media, e-newsletter, e-cards, etc.); track & analyze relevant metrics.
Collaborate with other departments to identify stories of grantee partners, donors, Board members, and anti-hunger professionals to be utilized for various communication tools.
Prepare additional research, written and verbal materials as needed.
Other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree required; masters degree a plus.
Familiarity with Jewish tradition is required.
3-5 years post-collegiate experience in marketing and communications. Nonprofit experience desirable.
Proven track record in concepting, writing, designing and executing newsletters, annual reports and other marketing collateral.
Digital marketing experience (website content management, social media strategy & implementation); Experience with Convio, WordPress, Salesforce.com, and/or Google Analytics a plus.

Required Skills

Exceptional writing and editing skills. Keen attention to detail for proofreading, copyediting and fact-checking.
Strong design sensibility.
Ability to work independently and cooperatively at all levels in the organization.
Self-starter capable of setting and managing deadlines and juggling multiple tasks.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office. Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite highly preferred.
Interest in, and strong commitment to, the organization’s mission.

How to Apply

Qualified applicants should submit cover letter, resume and 3-5 writing samples to hr@mazon.org. No phone calls please.

Marketing Job Opening at MAZON

Published by JTA-Op-Ed: Keep the SNAP aid program strong

Abby J. Leibman — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 22:39:14 +0000

by Abby J. Leibman and Steve Gutow

April 5, 2012 | Originally published by JTA

A well-known D.C. maxim advises that any economic stimulus must be timely, targeted and temporary. So as legislators begin drafting the 2012 Farm Bill, why are some proposing to cut a program that responds in direct relation to need, supports recipients for an average of just nine months, boasts an extremely low payment error rate and in the process generates $1.79 for every $1 spent?

In the case of SNAP — the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps — it’s because we have let a politically devised gross mischaracterization define how most people understand the program.

This partisan rhetoric has only intensified lately because of the upcoming presidential election. In the midst of all the speechmaking, Congress seems primed to cut SNAP, which certainly will have a devastating impact on 50 million of our fellow Americans.

As leaders of national advocacy organizations, we cannot stand by while the health and well-being of one of every six American men, women and children are threatened. As leaders of Jewish advocacy organizations, we are further compelled to act by the arrival of Passover, a holiday that opens with an invitation to “Let all who are hungry come and eat.”

If we do nothing to confront the prevailing rhetoric or challenge cuts to SNAP in the next Farm Bill, we not only will be abandoning our principles but also dishonoring the sincerity of our Passover invitation.

Every five years, the Farm Bill reauthorization process gives us a chance to re-examine our national priorities with regard to food. The bill has far-reaching impact, containing an array of titles that cover the whole process, from seed to table. Simply, the bill brings the bounty of our country’s farms to the tables of rich and poor. One of the primary ways it reaches the latter is through SNAP, which provides food assistance to those who might otherwise not have enough resources to eat. And this vital program accomplishes its function with great success.

SNAP is specifically designed to be responsive to economic conditions — to expand when the U.S. economy is weak and unemployment is high, and then to contract when the economy improves and more people are back to work. What could be timelier than providing help only when people need it?

Moreover, this help is provided with great efficiency. Exemplary among government programs, SNAP has a nearly unparalleled record of program integrity and a historically low improper payment rate of just 3.8 percent. This means more than 96 percent of SNAP benefits are accurately and appropriately delivered to those who are eligible to receive them.

For this highly targeted group of people, SNAP is nothing short of a lifesaver that spares them from having to choose between food and other necessities such as rent, utilities and health care.

A program, then, that saves lives so effectively deserves to have its story told with facts, not distorted narrative. Contrary to what some would have you believe, for the vast majority of the 46 million Americans currently on SNAP (over half of whom are children or seniors), the program serves not as a permanent handout from the government but a temporary bridge to get past hard times. On average, SNAP recipients transition off the program in nine months — receiving benefits just long enough to find a new job or get back on their feet.

But the best way to reduce reliance on SNAP is to build a stronger economy, and strengthening SNAP is one of the surest ways that Congress can contribute to our recovery. The money these families spend on food quickly goes directly into their local economy, helping to support the community and stave off further unemployment.

In addition, according to a recent census report, in 2010 SNAP helped lift 3.9 million people out of poverty. Instead of feeding a cycle of poverty, SNAP helps prevent people from being enslaved by one.

At Passover we are reminded that we once were slaves but now we are free. Like the liberty our ancestors won, millions fewer Americans feel the oppression of hunger because of SNAP. But this accomplishment, worthy of celebration as it is, is not enough. Far too many Americans still struggle with hunger, and even more will do so if funding for SNAP is cut. And so we must continue to be vigilant.

For the fourth year, our organizations are sponsoring more than 50 Hunger Seders taking place in communities across the country that will increase awareness about hunger and urge participants to take action. On March 29 we hosted the National Hunger Seder at the Capitol that united members of Congress, administration officials and national anti-hunger advocates in our commitment to freedom from hunger for all Americans.

If the Farm Bill sets the priorities for our national harvest, then from our perspective SNAP gives us a legislative means of realizing our biblical commandment to leave the “gleanings of your harvest” for “the poor and the stranger” (Lev. 23:22). By strengthening SNAP, we help fulfill that sacred mandate with a response that is timely, targeted and temporary. And in ensuring freedom from hunger, we also honor the Passover holiday now upon us.

Abby Leibman is the president and CEO of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing and alleviating hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds.

Rabbi Steve Gutow is the president and CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the public affairs arm of the organized Jewish community.

Advocating for a Just Farm Bill on Capitol Hill

MAZON — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 19:30:23 +0000

By Ilan Caplan | March 1, 2012 | Originally posted on The Jew and the Carrot.

“This just makes common sense, and—I think—it makes Jewish sense.”

That is how Timi Gerson of the American Jewish World Service (AJWS), closed the House of Representatives policy briefing organized by the Jewish Working Group for a Just Farm Bill.

I was privileged to watch this briefing in action. The panelists, Barbara Weinstein of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (the RAC); Josh Protas of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA); Mia Hubbard of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger; and Timi Gerson of AJWS, had addressed an audience earlier that day in the one of the Senate conference rooms: a spacious, red-carpeted room bedecked with large portraits of senators past and present. This second briefing was in a smaller, more intimate room, not substantially different from the Multi-Purpose Room of my childhood synagogue in suburban New Jersey.

The message was equally clear in both settings: “We, as representatives of the American Jewish community, want a just Farm Bill, and we are concerned that we might not get it.” Mia addressed the reason: “MAZON … has worked on a lot of Farm Bills. But this one is different.” The difference? A slow economic recovery and a government focused on deficit reduction—hefty challenges in a time of great need.

But Mia also noted one positive answer to “Why is this [Farm Bill] fight different from all other [Farm Bill] fights?” For the first time, the newly convened Jewish Working Group for a Just Farm Bill has brought a unified American Jewish voice to food justice, an issue that has energized many American Jews in a new way this year.

The relationship between Jews and food justice ran through each panelist’s presentation. Barbara noted the long connection— “since Biblical times”— between Jews, agriculture and justice. Josh reminded the crowd that the Passover Seders are approaching, marked by the traditional declaration, “All who are hungry, come and eat.” He went on to advocate for more consistent, secure funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or the “food stamp” program. In recent years, this cornerstone government food assistance program has had its funds siphoned for other purposes – as Josh put it, “like a federal ATM machine.”

Mia reemphasized the need for our government to maintain SNAP funding, and advocated additionally for another domestic food assistance program, The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). She noted that hunger does not escape any U.S. district, and reminded us that government assistance programs like SNAP and TEFAP – not food banks and charitable services – should be treated as the first line of defense for food security. Timi wrapped up the conversation by advocating for greater flexibility in our food aid policy. Invoking Maimonides’ declaration that the highest form of giving is one that supports self-sufficiency, she urged Congress to adopt a policy that would allow the U.S. to support purchasing food in countries where food is available, rather than sustaining our current, less efficient and more expensive policy that requires the U.S. to ship American food overseas. Timi reminded the audience that this recommendation enjoys bi-partisan support and the backing of virtually all international development experts. “The only thing getting in the way is politics and special interests.”

One of the audience members, Ellen Teller of the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), praised the panelists for bringing Jewish organizations together and gathering support from over 15,000 Jewish petition signers and 12 additional national Jewish organizations. “You are national, but you are also the local communities nationwide,” she reminded us. “That is where you can make real change happen.”

If there is one thing I learned from visiting Capitol Hill, it is that constituents’ voices matter a great deal. If you haven’t signed the Jewish Petition for a Just Farm Bill, please wait no longer. If you haven’t encouraged your friends to sign the petition, please do. Before Purim or Passover, email your Senator or district representative —or better yet, schedule an in-district meeting— to emphasize that you care about fighting hunger domestically and internationally. Talk about your Hunger Seder or your Global Hunger Shabbat. Tell them you are representing yourself and the rest of the American Jewish community, a community that desperately wants to eradicate hunger worldwide. Tell them our government can take measurable steps to make this a reality— if only there were the political will.

The message of the Jewish Working Group for a Just Farm Bill is that from all corners of the country, we can work together as a Jewish community with one voice. Let’s exercise responsible citizenship in this season of feasts. It just makes Jewish sense.

The Jewish Working Group for a Just Farm Bill includes representatives from American Jewish World Service (AJWS), the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL), Hazon, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger and the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ).

Ilan Caplan is a Program Associate at American Jewish World Service.

Published in the Jewish Exponent | Growing Income Disparity Also Equals Growth in Hunger

MAZON — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:46:17 +0000

Original article published in the Jewish Exponent on December 28, 2011

Opinion: Growing Income Disparity Also Equals Growth in Hunger
by Ruth S. Laibson

I am usually proud to call Philadelphia my home. But a recent study that highlights our city’s increasing income segregation contains some very disquieting facts that should challenge all of us to action.

The study, conducted by Stanford University, demonstrated dramatic growth in income segregation in the United States over the last four decades. Since 1970, both the poorest and the most affluent neighborhoods have more than doubled in size, while middle-income neighborhoods have shrunk by nearly one-third.

At a time when the disparity between the “haves” and “have-nots” is growing, the middle class is disappearing. Alarmingly, our city, which in 1970 was the 43rd most income-segregated metropolitan area in the country, has risen to third place. Even more disturbing, Philadelphia and its suburbs registered the sharpest rise in this segregation of any metropolitan area.

As the study notes: “The increasing concentration of income and wealth (and therefore of resources such as schools, parks and public services) in a small number of neighborhoods results in greater disadvantages for the remaining neighborhoods where low- and middle-income families live.”

The challenges abound. Children have fewer educational opportunities or neighborhood support services; adults facing economic hardship are far too often forced to make painful choices about how to stretch their limited dollars to cover even the basic necessities — shelter, medical care, food.

As a board member of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, one of the nation’s foremost food justice organizations, I am keenly aware of the shocking statistics about the prevalence of hunger in America. Fifty million Americans — including 17 million children — are too often unsure if or when they will have their next meal.

Nearly one in four U.S. households with children couldn’t afford enough food for themselves and their families in 2010. For households without children, 49 of 50 states reported food hardship rates higher than 10 percent in 2009-2010. In Philadelphia, one in four people struggles to put food on the table.

Charitable organizations, including MAZON’s nationwide partners on the front lines, are already doing their best to bear a heavy burden. How much more can we realistically expect them to shoulder?

Our elected officials are in the position to help alleviate this shameful situation. But with the current focus on reducing federal and state deficits, programs like SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called food stamps), that have proven instrumental in reducing hunger and promoting better nutrition for families in need, are at risk of being severely cut back.

It is not too late to change this paradigm. We must band together to help those struggling for food and slipping into a lifetime of poverty and despair. We must urge our elected officials not to balance the budget on the backs of the least fortunate among us.

No one can predict with certainty where the economy is headed, but it seems clear that things are not going to improve quickly. We cannot allow our continued hard times to justify the destruction of the lives and hopes of millions of American families.

Ruth S. Laibson, a resident of Haverford, is a board member of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger.

Think again

Abby J. Leibman — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:55:45 +0000

Originally published in ‘Tis The Season, an independent supplement to the Chicago Sun-Times.

by Abby J. Leibman
President & CEO, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
December 23, 2011

As an advocate, I often spend my days in a state of outrage. I am buffeted by chilling statistics, the devastating experiences of families in need and the grindingly slow response by policymakers to those needs. I am also regularly stunned by the assumptions made about who is hungry in America, why they are hungry and what it will take to address hunger in America. There are 50 million Americans who aren’t sure if or when they’ll have their next meal. That’s a documented fact—a painful, challenging fact. But beyond recognizing that it is an astronomically high number, how much do we really understand about that fact?

If you think hungry people are just the inherently lazy and irresponsible, think again.
The spike in the number of hungry Americans comes substantially from those who’ve lost their jobs as a result of our struggling economy. The nation’s unemployment rate continues to hover around nine percent, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in May that the number of people who were unemployed for more than 52 weeks before being hired again in 2010 was nearly triple that of 2007.

If you think government programs enable needy people to live well on our tax dollars, think again.
SNAP provides about $1.40 per person per meal. SNAP is designed only to ensure that people receive some basic sustenance so they can contribute back to society and get off the program.

If you think hunger exists because we don’t have enough food, think again.
There’s enough wheat, rice, and other grains produced globally to provide every human being with 3,500 calories a day—that’s 75 percent more calories per person than are recommended in the USDA’s Nutritional Guidelines. Hunger persists in this country not because of a lack of food, but an absence of political will to solve the problem.

If you think our national predicament is reprehensible, then take action. We must all practice and promote a holistic approach to ending hunger in America—providing nutritious food to those in need today, and working to develop and advance long-term solutions so that no one need go hungry tomorrow. The time to end hunger in America is now. We urge you to join our fight.

MAZON urges you to make your voice heard

MAZON — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 17:40:19 +0000

It appears we may have reached a crossroads in our history as a nation. How we proceed – how our elected representatives act on our behalf – will not only affect the quality of life for tens of millions of Americans, but also could determine the competitiveness of our economy for generations to come.

If you were waiting for the “right” moment,
that moment has arrived.

Hunger in America has never been more prevalent. And yet, for the first time in generations, funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as Food Stamps) could be in jeopardy. SNAP has historically enjoyed bipartisan support and protection. But the recent stalemate about the debt ceiling, and the “supercommittee” it spawned, has put the fate of this highly effective program – and the 46 millions of Americans who rely on it – at risk.
As this threat to nutrition programs has loomed large, MAZON has embraced its leadership role within the Jewish community and in the anti-hunger field. We have taken a firm public position in published editorial articles in major newspapers across the country. We encourage you to read these articles by clicking the appropriate link below:

What they’re not saying about hunger in America
- Des Moines Register, 8/30/11

Putting Jewish values on poor Americans’ dinner tables
- j. The Jewish news weekly of Northern California, 10/6/11

Americans need supercommittee to maintain food assistance
- Detroit Free Press 11/2/11

Where not to cut the budget
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution 11/5/11

We will continue to fight to preserve the vital support that allows so many of our fellow Americans to put food on the table. But we also need your help!

Join us by raising your voice as an advocate for the 46 million Americans who need our help. Urge your elected officials to preserve funding for the nutrition programs that prevent mass starvation in our country. Write, email, or call to remind them that you will not stand for the budget to be balanced on the backs of the most vulnerable among us.

Together, we can transform how it is into how it should be.

Reaching out to your legislators is easy. Follow the simple steps below:

Dial the toll-free number: 1-877-698-8228
When prompted, enter your zip code.
Listen to the brief instructions, and you will be patched through to your Senator’s office automatically.

Once you’ve been connected to the first office, deliver this message:

Please weigh in with the Super Committee personally and urge them to reject any proposals that would cut anti-hunger programs like SNAP, TEFAP, CSFP, or WIC or other child nutrition programs during the deficit reduction process. Our nation cannot afford to increase hunger in America.

After the call, stay on the line. You will be automatically connected to your remaining legislators’ offices.

Get involved in Food Day!

MAZON — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 18:41:30 +0000

MAZON is a proud partner in Food Day: Monday, October 24, 2011. There are lots of ways to get involved – check it out!

Today: you can sign a petition urging Congress to support Food Day’s goals:

Reduce diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods
Support sustainable farms & limit subsidies to big agribusiness
Expand access to food and alleviate hunger
Protect the environment & animals by reforming factory farms
Promote health by curbing junk-food marketing to kids
Support fair conditions for food and farm workers

On Monday – you can attend an event! There are tons of events scheduled to happen all over the country, designed to encourage conversation about what’s right and wrong with our diets and whole food system and how to fix them. The easiest way to find a way to participate is to visit foodday.org, search using the interactive map.

Anytime – you can find curriculum, videos and lots of other Food Day resources by clicking here.

It should be a great day – hope you’ll find a way to get involved!

Take action today: Urge your Senator to sign Gillibrand letter by October 27

MAZON — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 21:09:48 +0000

The Super Committee is deliberating $1.5 Trillion in cuts. It is vitally important that SNAP, child nutrition and other safety net programs be spared.

Please urge your Senator to sign on to this letter from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), which asks that SNAP and other low-income programs be protected in any deficit plan.