LOS ANGELES, CA (June 14, 2018) — MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger today announced recipients of its Emerging Advocacy Fund partnership grants. This year’s cohort of partners represents a mix of emerging and well-established field leaders engaging in grassroots organizing, legislative action, policy analysis, impact litigation and more.
“Since its founding in 1985, MAZON has been committed to addressing food insecurity in the United States through policy change,” said Abby J. Leibman, president and CEO of MAZON. “Among the strategies we use, we are particularly proud of the pioneering role we’ve played in helping to build a strong and resilient anti-hunger advocacy infrastructure in diverse regions across the United States. But we are also mindful that there is still work to be done—especially in those states where hunger is both prevalent and persistent. With our nation’s nutrition safety net facing unprecedented threats, we must strengthen our resolve to empower state-based organizations to advocate on behalf of hungry people in their communities.”
MAZON’s Emerging Advocacy Fund provides partners with financial backing, for up to three consecutive years, to hire or retain staff who are dedicated to anti-hunger advocacy. In addition to providing financial support, MAZON also offers technical assistance to grantee partners and helps to facilitate collaboration and cooperation between them.
“The largest impediment to advancing anti-hunger advocacy in these states is not a lack of will or commitment to affecting meaningful change,” said Daniel Rosove, program director at MAZON. “What these organizations need is access to sustained resources and technical expertise to do dedicated anti-hunger work. MAZON is committed to providing just this kind of support, so these organizations can bring about real and necessary change that protects food insecure people in their state.”
Recipients of 2018 Emerging Advocacy Fund grants are:
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- Alabama Food Bank Association (Huntsville, AL)
- Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance (Little Rock, AR)
- Louisiana Budget Project (Baton Rouge, LA)
- Good Shepherd Food Bank (Auburn, ME)
- Preble Street (Portland, ME)
- Missouri Budget Project (St. Louis, MO)
- Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi (Flowood, MS)
- Mississippi Center for Justice (Jackson, MS)
- North Carolina Alliance for Health (Raleigh, NC)
- North Carolina Justice Center (Raleigh, NC)
- MomsRising (Raleigh, NC)
- Tennessee Justice Center (Nashville, TN)
- Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands (Nashville, TN)
- West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy (Charleston, WV)
- West Virginia Healthy Kids and Families Coalition (Charleston, WV)
- West Virginia University Food Justice Lab (Morgantown, WV)
About MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
Inspired by Jewish values and ideals, MAZON is a national advocacy organization working to end hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds in the United States and Israel. For more information on MAZON, please visit mazon.org.