The Mitzvah Project, coordinated by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, was formally launched in the spring of 1995. The goal of this program is to bring people together to perform mitzvot and provide opportunities to do gemilut hasadim through community projects. Most importantly, it exists to assist people in our community who are in need.

In August 1996, the concentration of the Mitzvah Project became focused on the creation of a Food Project for the Philadelphia Jewish Community. Today, all of the five pantry sites are run with the same basic principles. The Mitzvah Food Project pantry network is committed to serving the multiple and diverse needs of clients who range in age from infants to the elderly. Although the Mitzvah Food Project represents the Jewish communal response to hunger, there is no religious requirement for clients. We do not conduct any sort of economic screening; anyone who comes to a pantry and requests food is assisted. The decision to not require means testing is in line with other area hunger organizations including Philabundance which believes that if the pantry is located in an impoverished area, the majority of families requesting aid are in need. Means testing can also be uncomfortable for the family or individual asking for help and could deter those who need help from seeking it.

Through the dedication of over 100 volunteers who help with the regular operation of all five pantry sites as well as groups of volunteers who assist occasionally throughout the year, the Mitzvah Food Project network distributed 28,032 food packages from September 2007-August 2008 to over 2,000 households. Recipients included elderly individuals and couples, single-parent families, people who are chronically ill, and those who are newly poor due to recent unemployment or a major medical problem.

Though the Mitzvah Food Project is serving an increasing number of clients, there is still much more we must do to reduce food insecurity in our community. If you would like to make a donation to the Mitzvah Food Project or volunteer at one of our five pantry sites, please contact Drisana Davis, Mitzvah Food Project Associate at 215-832-0531 or at ddavis@jfgp.org. Or to make an online donation directly to the Project, click here and select the Mitzvah Food Project/Pantry option under "Please credit my donation to."

Sources of Food & Pantry Sites
Food items come to the Project from a variety of sources. Individuals, synagogues, and other organizations donate products throughout the year. Please contact us if you are interested in making a donation to any of our five locations in the greater Philadelphia area. Monetary donations are used to purchase food from Philabundance at a low cost. Also, SHARE provides 4 of the 5 pantry sites with food from the State Food Purchase program.

The Mitzvah Food Project network functions in collaboration with a broad spectrum of hunger-relief agencies in this area, including the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger, Philabundance, and SHARE's State Food Program.