Children’s HealthWatch Founder and Principal Investigator, Dr. Deborah Frank, was featured in a Boston Globe article on how many Jewish congregations hold food drives during the 10 days of the Jewish High Holy days.
Jews take seriously the mitzvah of feeding the poor
“Feeding the hungry is a fairly universal religious value,” says Dr. Deborah Frank, founder and director of the Grow Clinic for Children at Boston Medical Center. Frank is a member of Temple Sinai, whose collections are donated to the clinic. “Forty percent of families bringing young children to the [ER] report that they’re food insecure,” says Frank, who has been working with malnourished children for 30 years.
Collections should not be based on what donors happen to have, says the doctor. “Donate food that you would feed your children or mother.” Best are high-nutrient items such as baby formula, shelf-stable milk, dried beans, peanut butter, tuna, healthy cooking oils, rice, fortified pastas, and non-sugary cereals.