Having a Hanukkah Party? Ask Everyone to Bring a Can.

So I'm planning my Hanukkah party for next weekend, putting together recipes and making grocery lists, when I come across this. It's an article about how hunger and gluttony exist side by side in our world, and it quickly pulls me out of my latke reverie. Of course, I'm well aware of the hunger problem we face, but to see the facts drawn out like that is an instant reminder:

This year, 854 million people worldwide wake up hungry.

More than one in 10 U.S. residents, including 12.6 million children, live in households that experience hunger.

In the real world, a person dies every 3 1/2 seconds from hunger-related causes.

Since collecting and giving tzedakah is such an integral part of being Jewish, Hanukkah is a perfect time to enlist your friends and family for a charitable cause. This past September, for my 30th birthday, I asked all of my guests to bring a can for donation to a local food pantry. It wound up being a huge success. See for yourself:

If you're getting together with friends or family for Hanukkah this year, this is a really simple way to do some good as a group. Just ask everyone to bring a can along with that side dish or present, collect them all in a box or tough bag, and drop them off at your local food pantry afterward. If you do it, take pictures or video, and send them in with a note about how it went.