Fall Learning Resources

Mac & Cheese and Feminine Hygiene Kits

Learn more about these projects:

Thank you for participating in our Service Project Kit initiative!  The project selections this fall are mac & cheese kits and feminine hygiene kits. Both kits provide recipients with the means to care for themselves (either with a yummy meal or necessary hygiene supplies) and give them dignity. This exemplifies the Jewish value of human dignity, which in Hebrew is kavod ha’adam, which  translates to “honor of humans”.

knit-in

Did you know?

Facts About Food Insecurity:

  • The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as a lack of access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. (Source)
  • More than 12% of Americans – nearly 44 million people – face food insecurity. (Source)

Facts About Period Poverty:

  •  Every month, more than two billion people around the world menstruate. Period poverty refers to the inability to afford and access menstrual products, sanitation and hygiene facilities and education and awareness to manage menstrual health. (Source)
  • In the United States of America, 1 in 4 teens and 1 in 3 adults struggle to afford period products, especially teens of color and lower-income households. (Source)

A Jewish Lens

Pirkei Avot, a book of Rabbinical teachings, known in English as The Ethics of Our Ancestors, is made up of short statements of advice, ethics, and wisdom. One of the prominent 2nd Century scholars whose teachings are featured in Pirkei Avot is Ben Zoma.

Ben Zoma said… “Who is honored? He who honors his fellow human beings.”

-Pirkei Avot (Ethics of our Ancestors), 4:1

By putting together these kits, we are putting the value of Human Dignity into action by meeting urgent needs and allowing people to more easily care for themselves for a short time.

Consider…

  • What does it mean to show honor and care to others?
  • In what ways do you like others to show their respect for you?
  • What is something that you can do to care for yourself?

Go Deeper…

  •  Check out these books from PJ Library:
    • Mitzvah Pizza by Sarah Lynn Scheerger
    • Maddi’s Fridge by Lois Brandt
    • Hillel Takes a Bath by Vicki L. Weber
  • Check out these books from the Jewish Library of Baltimore:
    • Hello Darkness, My Old Friend: How Daring Dreams and Unyielding Friendship Turned One Man’s Blindness Into an Extraordinary Vision for Life by Sanford Greenberg
    • Layers: Personal Narratives of Struggle, Resilience and Growth from Jewish Women by Shira Lankin Sheps

More Resources

Here are more resources and local and national initiatives combating food insecurity and period poverty: