Challah for Hunger, a national non-profit organization, got its start at Scripps College. To give a little background for those who don’t know what challah is, it is a Jewish bread that is eaten on the Sabbath and on holidays. Pronounced like “halla,” the bread is made with flour, water, yeast, sugar, oil, eggs, and any other filling ingredients.
Photo courtesy of https://scrippschallah.wordpress.com
The organization was founded in 2004 with the purpose of donating money to relief organizations fighting against the genocide in Sudan. For the first few years, the chapter donated half of their profits to American Jewish World Service, a non-profit fighting against genocide in Darfur, giving the other half to other local charities and groups. Today, Challah for Hunger has partnered with MAZON, another non-profit organization that seeks to end hunger in the United States and Israel.
Photo courtesy of Laura Broderick
There are currently 70 chapters at colleges and universities worldwide. In the last ten years, over 7,000 students involved have baked over 200,000 loaves and donated over $600,000 to non-profit organizations. Students are involved in making, braiding, and baking the dough, as well as selling the challah.
At Scripps, each area of the organization has a manager: dough-making, baking, selling, finance, advocacy, and publicity. Each manager also leads a dough-braiding shift on Thursday nights from either 5 to 6:30pm or 6:30 to 8pm. The dough-making, baking, and braiding take place in the dining hall kitchen.
Photo courtesy of Laura Broderick
Every week Challah for Hunger makes plain, Mexican chocolate (chocolate chips with cinnamon) and vegan cinnamon sugar. They also have two rotating special flavors – some of their most popular are pizza and cranberry white chocolate chip. They sell the challah in Seal Court from 11am to 1pm, or until we run out. Small loaves are $3 and large loaves are $4.