Who we are

 

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.

 

mazon (mah’zohn, n)
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 once a year giving much needed relief to carefully vetted organizations that provide basic food needs.

 

Our Allocations Committee, as well as our Board of Directors, is comprised of representatives from all streams of life including rabbis, accountants, lawyers, professors and community professionals.

 

Our mandate

 

MAZON Canada responds to the needs of the hungry wherever and whoever they may be.

 

MAZON Canada funds 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. This means we ask our supporters to donate 3% of the food costs of any simcha or milestone event so we can allocate those funds to the hungry.

 

This work began in 1986 by encouraging the Jewish community to “symbolically invite a hungry stranger to their table” and later branched out to other fundraising avenues, including special events, appeals at holidays and the sale of occasion cards.

 

Over the last 25 years we have helped thousands of Canadians through hundreds of programs.

 

Our leadership

 

Click here for a list of our Leadership Team.

Click here for contact information for our offices in Toronto and Montreal.