Information: acfb.org
For the past 25 years, volunteers have helped Operation Isaiah make an impact to those most vulnerable in the city with a yearly food drive. The annual event is traditionally coordinated by those of Jewish faith across metro Atlanta during the High Holy Days.
This year, Operation Isaiah kicked off on Sept. 13 at the beginning of Rosh Hashanah and continued through Yom Kippur, which was on Sept. 21-22. The ongoing tradition resulted in two weeks of food drive efforts inspired by community involvement and the desire to give back to its long entrusted partner, the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
The annual food drive was originally founded at the Ahavath Achim Synagogue, one of the city’s oldest congregations, as a means to follow the words of Isaiah, “share your bread with the hungry.” Since its humble beginnings, the campaign is now supported by almost every Jewish congregation and school in the area, and has grown to become one of ACFB’s largest single food drive campaigns.
Last year, AA Synagogue collected over 40,000 pounds of food during Operation Isaiah adding to more than 70,000 pounds collected across the city through the food drive.
The inspiration came from a tradition. Those who observe Yom Kippur fast from sundown one day until after sundown the following day and do not drink any liquids or eat any food.
“We as the Jewish community recognized that we choose to observe the command to fast whereas there are people who are fasting every day without that choice because they do not have food to eat,” said Nancy Weiner, member of the synagogue and longtime supporter of the food drive.
Since the launch of Operation Isaiah, the Jewish community has collected over 820,000 pounds of food for the food bank.
“The Jewish community has always done Chesed, or acts of loving kindness, for others. Operation Isaiah is just one of those ways in which we can fulfill our obligation to God and to our fellow human beings,” said Weiner.
In other news: The Home Depot partnered with a local nonprofit to restore independence for an Atlanta area veteran by building her a new, energy-efficient home on Sept. 10. The efforts came through the company's fifth annual Celebration of Service campaign, which lasts until Veterans Day. Associate volunteers known as Team Depot will complete projects for veterans in every community The Home Depot serves including Atlanta.
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