MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger

As Board Member for the Jackson County Food Bank in McKee, Kentucky, I have been working with Mazon through their Rural & Remote Initiative. For 27 years the Jackson County Food Bank has never developed plans for moving forward, improving services for our clients or ways to secure additional funding. MAZON has helped us make the move forward in all directions and set us on the path of success in develping a plan with reachable goals and fundraising advice that will greatly improve what we are doing. MAZON has been nothing but kind, helpful and professional through our work with them. It was a blessing that we were part of their Rural & Remote Initiative.

I have been a Board member of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger for over a decade. Having served on many non-profit boards over the years, I believe I have a clear picture of the terrific professionalism of the MAZON staff and the extraordinary relationships that the organization has nurtured with all of its partners across the hunger relief field.

MAZON is an exciting organization to represent at this time! It has positioned itself as a leader in the non-profit arena around hunger issues. When MAZON talks about the significance of a public-private partnership and calls attention to the inequity that hunger creates for all sectors of society, our legislators and government officials are now responding and are willing to engage in the conversation - and that is a MAJOR step forward!

As the Executive Director of Tangi Food Pantry in Louisiana, I have been working with Mazon through their Rural & Remote Initiative. They have been professional, kind, and helpful through the process. Cari has helped us immensely with fundraising advice and establishing a development plan. Although the Tangi Food Pantry has been helping the community for over 25 years, we have never had a development plan. With the help and support of Mazon, we are able to move forward with a much more secure future. Having goals and seeing them through will be a great accomplishment for us and Mazon will be a major reason for our future successes.

I have been personally involved in hunger issues my whole adult life, and have supported many anti-hunger groups. Mazon is the one organization that I feel deserves my personal commitment of time and energy, which is why I am pleased to serve on its board. Mazon does a great job identifying and supporting agencies that are doing creative, effective anti-hunger work. But in addition to making grants, Mazon's staff develops and implements innovative programs, focusing on problems that are deemed high priority by the board and staff. Lastly, one of the compelling components of Mazon's efforts is advocacy. The organization has a broad-based program for activating grassroots involvement to support public policies that address the problem of hunger in America.

MAZON is a fantastic organization with meaningful purpose.Sadly far too many people struggle with hunger everyday. Thankfully MAZON pushes senators and citizens into action to impact their surroundings and the world at large.

A proud organization whose volunteers are truly passionate about ending hunger.

As a long time donor and supporter of Mazon, I am constantly impressed by this outstanding organization. They are so incredibly dedicated to their cause of fighting hunger and increasing advocacy. Their Director of Development is extremely personable and passionate.

I am consistently impressed by MAZON's staff, who are incredibly professional, forward thinking, and knowledgable of the field. They are a vital partner in the struggle to end food insecurity and protecting the safety nets that prevent people from having to choose between feeding their children healthy meals and affording their medications. I feel so proud to be a part of their work.

Mazon is a very well managed focused organization that addresses the needs of food insecure citizens of our country through the funding of advocacy nationwide on the part of local groups addressing the needs of children, the elderly, veterans, the temporarily unemployed and individuals struggling with how to feed their families. It is an efficient organization that closely manages its administrative fees. It has a well deserved reputation after over 30 years of working in the filed. Unfortunately, the need is still overwhelming in our country with close to 50 million people food insecure. This is a highly professional organization that effectively delivers services in response to hunger.

As a community activist for many years I was aware of the work of Mazon through my
synagogue, but most importantly through the funding Mazon provided the Atlanta Community Food Bank. The Food Bank is a pivot point for the Atlanta region in addressing all the issues around
Hunger..... employment, childcare, healthy choices, success in school, food stamps, hot
lunches. Mazon's support for over 25 years was a statement of it's appreciation of the Food Bank and it's work. Mazon targeted the most appropriate location for it's support in my community.

Now that I am part of the Board of Mazon I see the meticulous decision making and integrity it
takes to build the respect Mazon has throughout the country.

The underlying philosophy, strategic
planning, superb implementation of programs, relationships with people and organizations in the field as a team player, consultant , and valued colleague in addressing Hunger has
kept Mazon in the forefront of Hunger amelioration.

From outside and inside, I have experienced and respect this organization deeply.

The St. Jude Food Bank in Tuba City, AZ has been supported by Mazon for several years lending expertise to our organization in the area of Advocacy for the Hungry. This year through their "Rural and Remote Initiative" we gain invaluable technical support to help our organization become more self-reliant and sustaining. Helping us be a better organization has allowed us to serve our clients better. Mazon was intrumental in creating an opportunity for strategic thinking: focusing on systemic change and advocacy while,at the same time, meeting the immediate needs of those who are hungry.

Mazon's support of Hunger organizations is extraordinary!

We partnered with MAZON, A Jewish Response to Hunger, through a pilot program they offered serving rural and remote areas. The goal of this pilot initiative was to provide capacity building for rural and remote programs working to alleviate hunger. The Good Samaritan Food Bank in Thibodaux has benefited greatly from the assistance provide by MAZON and our participation in this program. The MAZON staff is very efficient and capable; their guidance has been invaluable to our organization. MAZON is invested and dedicated to advocacy around the issue of food insecurity.

We partnered with Mazon, A Jewish Response to Hunger, in a rural and remote initiative to address and end hunger. Mazon provided such professional support and guidance, The Mooresburg Community Association has become a more effective champion of food insecurity issues in our community. Mazon has a very caring and attentive staff, and their efforts to end hunger will be a integral force in the changing picture of this social issue.
Mazon is dedicated and innovative when it comes to advocacy and changing the way hunger is perceived and approached.
It would be our pleasure to work with Mazon in the future

MAZON has provided very valuable professional and financial support to The Livingston Food Pantry of Park County Montana. They have demonstrated great empathy and professionalism in all of our interactions and their input will prove valuable for many years.

I am contracting with an organization that received funding from Mazon. My first communication with the agency left me deeply impressed. I have had the opportunity to work with many great funders, but Mazon's unique approach to ending hunger and empowering its partner organizations is astounding. Not only do they provide the funds to advance the recipient agency's mission, they are actively involved in providing training, planning, education, and feedback. Agency representatives leave the Mazon training sessions with the knowledge and confidence to advocate for their population.

MAZON is an organization that actually makes a difference in people's lives. One of the most unique and important activities of MAZON is the ability to identify needed policy changes at the state and federal level that actually reduce hunger. MAZON doesn't just identify a problem -- they engage a wide range of volunteers and partners to reach out to policymakers to make real change. MAZON understands the "politics of hunger" and is not afraid to tell real stories in a way that gets action. I know that every dollar I contribute and every minute I spend working on behalf of MAZON will make a real difference.

I have been involved with Mazon for more than ten years, and have never worked with a finer organization. Always thoughtful, on the cutting edge of leadership in working to alleviate hunger. Mazon's donors can and should feel confident that every donation is targeted to its mission, and organizational expenses are kept to a minimum.

We have had the opportunity (and, thankfully, ability) to donate to MAZON for many years. We continue to be very impressed with their organization, efficiency, and the warmth with which they operate.

MAZON continues to be near and dear to my heart for several reasons. I used to work as a staff and experienced first-hand the quality of work that came from my colleagues. Everybody on staff was passionate not only about the cause, but was also proud to be part of a unique team that produced such great work. To this day, I still keep in touch with some of them. Since my departure, I continue to look forward to the innovative changes that makes MAZON MAZON... This should give you a good perspective on the kind of agency MAZON is: Despite the current, harsh economy, MAZON continues to increase their grant giving to agencies dedicated to eradicating hunger. That says a lot for a nonprofit where almost every agency in the sector has lost a good chuck of their funding. Keep up the good work, gang!

Both I and my congregation are enthusiastic supporters of Mazon. We support their broad, interfaith and multi-cultural vision as well as their crucial mission to ease hunger on all levels, local, national, and global. I also appreciate the warmth and friendliness of their staff. Over the years I've supported Mazon, they've become like family.

I have been following and supporting Mazon, the Jewish response to Hunger since my daughter was a young teen in the Shaaray Tefilla Youth Group. My daughter is now 37, with two girls of her own, the oldest of whom is 10. I kept getting requests to write checks for various youth group functions that had odd number such as $20.60 or $15.45 because 3% was being given as a required contribution to Mazon who I learned through its newsletter and literature distributed funds to food pantries and programs throughout the United, Israel, and around the world on a non-sectarian basis. The more I read about its moral underpinnings from Isaiah, from Jewish tradition (Kol Yisrael Araveen Zeh L'zeh), the more I became commited to its success. When I was asked to undertake the development of a workplace giving campaign to replace United Way, I made sure that Mazon would be included. Ever since Mazon developed its website for donation, I use it almost exclusively to note good times (honors and mazel tovs) and bad times (in memory of loved ones in bereavement) of people about whom I care. When I have had weddings and other good occasions, I have participated through Mazon is donating 3% of the food costs to them for their distribution in turn to funding programs to feed the hungry, and made sure to let people know through Mazon place cards. I believe in this organization very strongly and have no issues with their integrity or competence.

Mazon is a wonderful organization that we feel very comfortable donating too. We know that our donations are going to help feed the hungry not only in the United States but around the world.

When it comes to donating to a charity I know does good I automatically turn to MAZON. Several times a year I make a donation either to honor a special person in my life or in the memory of a lost loved one. I have been fortunate to know members of the MAZON organization and their dedication and compassion is without bounds. The hunger crisis has been exacerbated by the downturn in the economy and MAZON is fighting the good fight. Bravo to MAZON!!

I have been a donor for nearly 20 years, and was a Board member for ten years. MAZON is an extremely well-run nonprofit that has helped to bring the crisis of hunger to the forefront of public attention through education and advocacy, while maintaining a key role in programs that directly serve clients. MAZON not only funds food distribution programs and multi-service agencies, but helps them operate more efficiently by linking them to one another to share resources and holding an annual conference for California recipients to meet and learn from experts. Donors are promptly acknowledged; those honored are sent beautiful and educational materials, and the website is top-notch. If every hunger-related non-profit operated as well as MAZON, we really would see an end to hunger in our lifetimes.

I have been donating to Mazon for the past 14 years. As far as I am concerned this is the finest non profit organization that is committed to ending world hunger and is non denominational in the organizations and charities that they distribute funds to. I will continue to tell all that I can that Mazon is the organization to donate to if they truly want their money to make a difference. I do believe if there a non profit organization that can find a way to end world hunger, Mazon is my only choice!!!!!

I am continually amazed with Mazon's commitment to its mission and its ability, with its dedicated and nimble staff, to reach as many people as it does. Here's an example: I brought one particularly well done booklet to show my parents, who are part of a small, one temple town in the Pacific Northwest. Not only had my parents received that mailer, but they had already been donating to Mazon for years. I travel light. For me to bring that Mazon piece up to Spokane shows how impressive I found their literature. Indeed, Mazon's mailings are powerfully executed, from the copy to the photo elements. And I feel confident that there is no waste in Mazon – donors know that their money is going toward ending hunger and not toward a bloated, executive-heavy organization.

Despite the small size of the staff, MAZON's engagement with the community is incredible. The donor services department provides a unique, personal experience to every donor. The grants department provides copious amounts of technical support to its grantees. The administrative staff has great commitment to its work (anti-hunger advocacy, rabbi relations, etc.). And of course, there is MAZON's grant-making. The grantees MAZON chooses are invaluable to the communities they serve -- be it New York City or Sun Prairie, Wisconsin or Tel Aviv -- and make great strides in reducing hunger in the US and abroad every day. I loved my time working at MAZON and miss the staff, board, and grantees every day.