About the organization

MAZON Canada is the national Jewish Response to Hunger. To date, our organization has allocated over 7 million dollars to frontline organizations battling hunger across Canada.

mah'zohn
Hebrew for food, nourishment, sustenance

What we do:

Based on the tradition of tikkun olam (healing the world), MAZON Canada raises awareness of poverty and hunger and links it with the mitzvah (obligation) of tzedakah (charity).

Funds raised by MAZON Canada are distributed on a non-denominational basis and allocated twice a year giving much needed relief to carefully vetted organizations that provide basic food needs.

Our Allocations Committee is comprised of of members of our volunteer Board of Directors which is made up of representatives of all streams of life including rabbis, accountants, lawyers, professors and community professionals.

Our Mandate:

MAZON will respond to the needs of the hungry wherever and whoever they may be.

MAZON will fund only those organizations which have as their primary concern the relief of hunger, or those which, as part of their larger mandate have a distinct program specifically targeted to an identifiable group suffering from hunger.

Our History:

MAZON Canada was founded by Leonard Fein on the "3% Principle." Simply stated, we ask our supporters to donate 3% of the food costs of any milestone event (simcha) so we can allocate those funds to the hungry.

This work began in 1986 by encouraging the Jewish community to "symbolically invite the hungry stranger to their table" and later branched out to making special appeals at holidays, as well as the selling of occasion cards and hosting special events.

Today our mandate has expanded to helping feed thousands of Canadians through 150 programs.