NOVEMBER 21 • 2024 | 21
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Tisdale said. 
“I hope everyone learned about 
hunger and anti-hunger history 
and will join me in supporting 
MAZON, joining our advocacy 
efforts, and sharing their incredible 
resources with others.”
Rabbi Joshua L. Bennett of 
Temple Israel said, “MAZON 
is an incredible organization 
working to end hunger in America. 
Their efforts have led directly 
to legislation that supports our 
mission to be a community-facing 
congregation. 
“The partnership between private 
sector religious institutions and 
governmental support is the only 
way to eradicate food insecurity in 
our country,” he added. “Without 
the work of MAZON, we would be 
years behind in the pursuit of our 

goals.”
Naama Haviv, MAZON’s 
vice president of community 
engagement, led the virtual tour. 
“We at MAZON approach our 
work not by distributing food, but 
by working to change the systems 
that allow hunger to persist,” 
Haviv said. “We are dedicated 
to protecting, strengthening and 
expanding the nutrition safety net, 
investing in our country’s anti-
hunger infrastructure, and working 
to shift both the public and political 
narrative about who is hungry in 
America, why they’re struggling and 
what can be done about it. 
“That’s where our Hunger 
Museum comes in — it’s an entirely 
virtual, deeply researched resource 
that tells the story that it is possible 
to solve hunger. But to achieve this, 

we need two things,” she added. 
“We need the American public 
to understand hunger as a systemic 
issue, and we need the government 
to respond — expansively, 
comprehensively and without 
judgment about why someone 
has been brought to the point of 
needing assistance. What it takes, 
really, is all of us.”
According to Abby J. Leibman, 
MAZON’s president and CEO, 
“This year, MAZON is celebrating 
our 40th anniversary, marking four 
decades of advocacy, community 
engagement and education, and 
leading the fight against hunger in 
the U.S. and Israel.
“We are so proud of all that 
MAZON has accomplished in the 
last 40 years — both in terms of 
building anti-hunger advocacy 

infrastructure and advancing key 
policy solutions to end hunger at 
various levels of government — but 
we have much more work ahead of 
us. 
“With more than 47 million 
people facing hunger in the U.S., 
we cannot accept the status quo. 
That number is ahead of pre-
pandemic levels and marks a nearly 
40% increase in just two years. It is 
completely unacceptable that our 
policymakers are allowing food 
insecurity rates to move in the 
wrong direction. I look forward to 
working closely with our partners, 
including the remarkable Detroit 
Jewish community, to achieve our 
goal of making hunger history.” 

Visit and explore the Hunger Museum at 

https://hungermuseum.org.

Your donation helps someone move 
towards a better tomorrow.

Visit jfsdetroit.org/friends or call 248.592.2339

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Thanks to an anonymous donor, gifts to the 
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will be matched up to $25,000!

One Story. One Gift. One Life Improved.

Sarah came to Jewish Family Service after losing her job and fearing 
she wouldn’t be able to feed her family. She is just one of 15,000 
community members we are honored to help each year. Every person 
has a story, a family, and a future worth fighting for. But we can’t do 
this vital work without YOU. Your support provides critical services 
ensuring individuals and families never face hardship alone.