As the Jewish community comes together to celebrate the holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona is coordinating Project Isaiah, an annual effort to address hunger in our community.
JCRC is working with local synagogues and Jewish agencies between Sept. 3 and Oct. 4 to collect non-perishable foods and monetary donations for the Community Food Bank. The most needed foods include canned meats and vegetables, soups, cereal, rice, tuna, macaroni and cheese, powdered milk and kosher products. This year, as part of Making a Difference Every Day: The Homer Davis Project, the JCRC, in partnership with Tucson Hebrew Academy and local synagogue religious schools, is also collecting non-perishable nutritious snack foods for kindergarten students at Homer Davis Elementary School.
Feeding the hungry is a fundamental Jewish value that is mentioned repeatedly in the Torah and the Talmud, notes JCRC Director Brenda Landau. The project is named for the Prophet Isaiah, who when asked why we fast on Yom Kippur, responded, “Is it not to share your bread with the hungry?” (Isaiah 58:6)
Donations for Project Isaiah can be dropped off at any synagogue or Jewish agency until Oct. 4. For more information, contact Jane Scott at the JCRC office at 577-9393.
