Challah for Hunger Announces New National Partnership with Swipe Out Hunger

Students at Temple University hosted a Swipe Out Hunger and Challah For Hunger partner bake during the 2019 Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. The proceeds from the bake sale will go to the Cherry Pantry or Student Emergency Aid Fund in the Division of Student Affairs. Photo courtesy of AaronRey Ebreo, Temple University Student Government’s student basic needs director.

Philadelphia, PA – Challah for Hunger (CfH), a national nonprofit with 86 student-led campus chapters, is excited to announce Swipe Out Hunger as their new national philanthropic partner. CfH’s 10,000+ student volunteers gather regularly to bake and sell challah, a traditional Jewish bread, and donate the money raised to anti-hunger efforts. Half of the money goes to a local partner of the chapter’s choosing and the other half to a national philanthropic partner advocating for policy solutions to address hunger long term. To date, CfH has donated over $1.5 million to anti-hunger nonprofits.

In 2016, CfH launched their national initiative, the Campus Hunger Project, to train student volunteers in the advocacy and leadership skills needed to fight campus food insecurity, a nationwide issue effecting 41% of four-year university students and nearly half of community college students as reported by the Hope Center’s most recent study.

Seeking a new national partner that focuses exclusively on campus hunger, CfH created an open application process for interested organizations this summer. It sought out organizations with a history of successful advocacy and organizing campaigns, a unique strategy for combating campus hunger, and robust opportunities for student engagement.

In October, CfH’s campus chapters voted on which new organization to partner with for the next two years and selected Swipe Out Hunger.

“Challah for Hunger’s core value is community and we’re excited to be building our community with this new partnership with Swipe Out Hunger,” said Loren Shatten, Challah for Hunger Interim CEO. “We’re excited to collaborate with another campus-based organization and center student voices in the fight to ensure no student has to choose between food and their education.” 

Founded by a group of friends at UCLA in 2010, Swipe Out Hunger has become the leading nonprofit addressing hunger among college students. It partners with students and campus administration across its 90-chapter network to develop anti-hunger programs on campus. Through Swipe Out Hunger and CfH’s shared student network, they will activate students to make lasting and sustainable change through student advocacy.

Since 2017, Swipe Out Hunger has been writing and advancing legislation to support student food security. This partnership will bolster Swipe Out Hunger’s work locally and federally, focused on pathways for students to lead.

“Students must be at the forefront of designing anti-hunger programs and policy. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to create change at many levels,” said Swipe Out Hunger Founder & CEO, Rachel Sumekh. “We are ecstatic to partner with Challah for Hunger to deepen our collective investment in grassroots advocacy and system change.”

Challah for Hunger would also like to thank Amplifier, a network of giving circles inspired by Jewish values, and the Natan Fund, a leading Jewish giving circle that funds Jewish and Israeli social innovation, who consulted on this process and took a lead role in overseeing the collective decision-making process.

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About Challah for Hunger

Challah for Hunger (CfH) was founded on a single college campus in 2004 and has now grown into a network of 100 chapters on college campuses and in communities around the country. Our thousands of volunteers gather regularly to bake and sell challah and donate the money raised to anti-hunger nonprofits. To date, CfH has donated more than $1.5 million. In 2016, CfH launched the Campus Hunger Project (CHP), their national advocacy and leadership training program, to build a movement of people to take action on campus hunger. Since the launch of the CHP, student leaders have led successful campaigns to create or improve resources for food insecure students on 25+ college campuses. For more information about Challah for Hunger, please visit: www.challahforhunger.org.

About Swipe Out Hunger

Swipe Out Hunger is a national nonprofit committed to ending college student hunger. It partners with colleges and universities to provide financially and logistically efficient anti-hunger programs. The organization’s flagship program, “The Swipe Drive,” allows students to donate their extra meal plan swipes to their peers who face food insecurity on campus. Recognized for its entrepreneurial nature, Swipe Out Hunger has been named an Obama White House Champion For Change and its founder, Rachel Sumekh, has landed a spot on the Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list. From its beginnings as a grassroots movement at UCLA in 2010, Swipe Out Hunger has since served 1.7 million nourishing meals across 34 states and more than 90 campuses. For more information, visit swipehunger.org.

Media Contacts: Challah for Hunger: Francesca Lo Basso, [email protected], 215.995.5177 | Swipe Out Hunger: Tenille Metti Bowling, [email protected], 248.345.4090