Challah for Hunger
WHAT:
Challah for Hunger seeks to advance social justice in Darfur and Southern California by harnessing the resources of the Claremont Colleges—its students, buildings, means of production, and discretionary income—to empower marginalized communities, alleviate human suffering, and create a more just and equal world. Our primary vehicle is challah. Fueled by an entrepreneurial ethos, we bake and sell nearly 400 loaves of challah each week, generating upwards of $1,250 in weekly profit earnings.
SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Challah for Hunger allocates 100% of its profit-earnings to non-profit organizations, maintaining durable partnerships with these organizations long after its initial donations. Letter-writing campaigns to elected officials, co-sponsored community events with partner organizations, and on-campus educational programming complement our philanthropic activities, animating students’ critical social consciousness and activism.
Each semester Challah for Hunger focuses on a specific social justice issue in the Los Angeles Area.
This semester our local giving theme is domestic violence. We are supporting House of Ruth, which provides services and resources for domestic violence victims living in Eastern Los Angeles and western San Bernardino counties. These services include residential programs, children’s programs, counseling, community services, and prevention and outreach.
POLITICAL ADVOCACY
Our organization is beginning to think creatively about how to exert political pressure. Students are encouraged to write letters to their representatives urging greater commitment to the victims of genocide in Darfur. Letter templates can be downloaded from the “Get Involved” page. Students that bring hand-written letter to any of the selling tables are entitled to a one-dollar discount on their challah purchase.