If you visited a college campus on a Friday in recent years, it’s possible you had the opportunity to buy challah from students. The delight of fresh challah only grew when you learned you would be donating to end hunger with your purchase. “Challah for Hunger” indeed.
For over 19 years, Challah for Hunger chapters across the country have offered college students the opportunity
to come together around the tradition of baking challah and directing the proceeds of those bakes to anti-hunger organizations locally and nationally.
After nearly two decades of engaging thousands of college students, raising over $2 million for anti-hunger organizations, and helping to build important visibility for the issue of college hunger across the United States, the organization Nazun — which has operated the Challah for Hunger program — is closing its doors.
MAZON is proud to announce that we now have the honor and privilege of carrying on the Challah for Hunger program as a part of our work. We have much to learn from this cohort of students, alumni, and others, and we are excited to share MAZON’s deep roster of resources to bolster their knowledge about anti-hunger policies, enhancing and expanding their advocacy efforts. We heartily believe that the Challah for Hunger program can and will continue to foster a pipeline of incredible anti-hunger leaders in the Jewish community and beyond.
How can I get involved?
• Start a chapter at your synagogue, on your college campus, or at your school to host regular bakes and challah sales. It’s not just for college students!
• Post your favorite challah recipes on social media, tag us @MAZONusa, and share with us why challah baking is meaningful to you, or how this ritual inspires you to take action.
• Organize a challah bake in your community, and we’ll happily provide resources to grow your event into an opportunity for volunteerism, community building, public education, and advocacy.
To get started with these ideas and more, contact our team at c4h@mazon.org.
Where have we been, and where are we going with college hunger advocacy?
In recent years, hundreds of food pantries have sprung up on college campuses around the country. These pantries alone cannot provide meaningful stability and food security for college students, yet many students are unable to access support from programs like SNAP. For years, organizations like MAZON and Challah for Hunger have been working to expose this unacceptable problem and advance policy solutions. We will continue to fight for comprehensive solutions, because the last thing college students should worry about is if they will have enough food to eat.
July 2017: California passes legislation to notify students of SNAP eligibility and increase SNAP access on college campuses.
August 2017: Massachusetts increases outreach to 52,000 low-income students potentially eligible for SNAP.
December 2017: MAZON organizes and co-hosts the first-ever congressional briefing on college hunger in Washington, DC.
January 2018: Pennsylvania Department of Human Services expands community college student eligibility to receive SNAP.
January 2019: The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) publishes a staggering report, which found that nearly 40% of undergraduate students in the country were facing hunger, marking the first time that the federal government acknowledged the scope of this problem.
March 2020: Advocates secure $7 billion in the pandemic-era CARES Act for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund and the U.S. Department of Agriculture relaxes SNAP requirements for some college students. An estimated 3 million college students receive life-saving SNAP benefits during the pandemic.
May 2023: Advocates warn that college students and other SNAP recipients will face a “hunger cliff” when the U.S. government’s public health emergency declarations end and emergency allotments and flexibilities for SNAP expire.
Future: MAZON is now undertaking an environmental scan of college student hunger policies and opportunities, and we will work with the Challah for Hunger community to surface local and state opportunities.
39% of four-year students are affected by hunger annually
HOW CAN I SUPPORT THIS PROGRAM?
Join our monthly donor program to support college student leaders fighting hunger.
Your monthly donation will provide critical, empowering support to college students across the country in becoming anti-hunger leaders in their communities. You will not only help sustain current Challah for Hunger chapters, but you will also help MAZON expand our reach to new student leaders and further build the national response to hunger.
Your gift of $18/month can support the cost of challah ingredients for one campus chapter, ensuring student leaders have the resources they need to host bake sales so they can focus on fighting hunger.
Your gift of $36/month can support an alumni adviser for an entire school year. These dedicated individuals provide guidance, mentorship, and valuable expertise to student leaders, helping them develop their skills and maximize their impact.
Your gift of $42/month can provide a grant to student leaders to lead anti-hunger advocacy projects in
their communities and combat campus hunger. Your contribution will ignite change and create a ripple effect that extends far beyond a single college campus.
Your gift of $85/month can provide a travel stipend for a Challah for Hunger leader to attend an in- person leadership convening. These gatherings bring together passionate advocates from across the country, fostering collaboration, networking, and personal growth.
Your gift of $150/month can support the investment required to create a new Challah for Hunger chapter. By establishing new chapters, we can expand our reach and empower more college students to take a stand against hunger.
To sign up as a monthly donor, visit mazon.org/SupportCfH or contact Rebecca Ward at rward@mazon.org or (424) 208-7203.