Mitzvah Food Program, Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia

The Mitzvah Food Program was piloted in 1996 to alleviate hunger and malnutrition among at-risk families in the Greater Philadelphia region.

With broad-based support from the region’s Jewish community and hunger relief agencies, the Mitzvah Food Program, which initially distributed food through a single community site, has expanded its geographic reach throughout Philadelphia and into the region’s lower-income suburban neighborhoods.

The Mitzvah Food Program benefits from both the support of an advisory committee made up of active community members, local nutritionists, and site leaders and a team of dedicated volunteers that keep our pantries and deliveries running smoothly. We also work with local and state hunger relief organizations, synagogues, and community organizations to acquire low-cost food staples and with volunteer groups throughout the region to organize food drives.

During 2019-2020, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Mitzvah Food Program distributed 938,020 pounds of food to 8,227 clients.

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