Overview of MAZON’s Hunger Fellows Program

The MAZON Hunger Fellowship gives bright Jewish leaders the training, Jewish context and resources they need to affect change on college campuses. By engaging in panel discussions with subject-matter experts, developing fundraising strategies and planning advocacy events, the MAZON Hunger Fellows will lead the way for Hillel student involvement in anti-hunger work.

Over the course of a year, MAZON Hunger Fellows will:

  • Partner with influential organizations in the anti-hunger community
  • Plan and execute campus events to raise awareness
  • Study Jewish social justice texts
  • Engage in meaningful advocacy projects
  • Deepen the understanding of hunger through panel discussions with anti-hunger community experts
  • Bring anti-hunger programming and learning to their college campuses

If you are interested in bringing this opportunity to your Hillel campus, or you have any questions about the program, please contact our Youth Outreach Coordinator, Laura Mizes, for more information. Outreach@mazon.org or (424) 208-7206.

MAZON 2012-2013 Hunger Fellows: 

Shoshana Pro
California State University, Northridge (CSUN)

Shoshanna Pro is a senior majoring in Anthropology and Jewish Studies at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). She moved to Los Angeles four years ago from Lake Arrowhead, California and is currently the tzedek intern at CSUN Hillel. In past years, Shoshanna has been involved with Hillel’s task force, Bagel Brigade, which brings leftover baked goods from local grocery stores to SOVA, a food pantry in the San Fernando Valley. As a MAZON Hunger Fellow, she hopes to learn more about hunger issues as well as to serve as a resource to students looking to become informed and involved.

 

 

Aviva Kraus
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) 

Aviva Kraus is a senior at UCLA, double majoring in Comparative Literature and French. She is a Los Angeles Native whose main passion is food justice. Currently, Aviva is an intern and coordinator with Repair the World, an intern at Netiya, and an Uri L’Tzedek compliance officer. In the past, Aviva has engaged with the issue of hunger by organizing volunteer days at Food Banks throughout LA, working with student organizations and helping support food depots on campus, acting as UCLA Hillel’s social justice chair, and participating in Hillel’s 2012 Alternative Spring Break program to Argentina. Through the MAZON Hunger Fellowship, Aviva hopes to gain leadership and activism skills, learn about non-profits like MAZON, and increase her ability to educate and advocate for hungry and vulnerable populations. 

 

Amy Schmidt
University of Southern California (USC) 

Amy Schmidt is a sophomore at the University of Southern California (USC) and studying Creative Writing and Italian. She is a native of Los Angeles. Amy spent a year in Israel and a summer in Peru with American Jewish World Service (AJWS), and those experiences have made her a passionate advocate for human rights justice all over the world. At USC, she is a founding member of the Interfaith Social Action and Advocacy Corp (ISAAC), an organization started to bring together the faith-based communities at USC in order to combine resources and strengthen social justice work on campus. As a MAZON Hunger Fellow, Amy hopes to increase her understanding and experience with social justice advocacy.