Teens join fight against hunger

Because our community seems saturated with restaurants, fast food places and supermarkets, it seems unlikely that anyone here would be concerned with hunger. But Ilana Nevins, 14, and Alexa Chaskes, 15, are taking time out of their busy schedules to combat empty stomachs around the world.

The two Calabasas High School freshmen are hosting a hunger banquet on Jan. 29 to increase awareness among community members about malnutrition and raise funds for MAZON, a Jewish charity dedicated to fighting hunger worldwide.

“I learned from the MAZON website that more than 150 million of those who suffer from hunger are under the age of 5,” said Nevins. “I almost cried after learning after that. I realized that this was a serious problem for people my age and a lot younger and I decided I wanted to do something to help.”

Nevins and Chaskes said even though some people may find the idea of hosting a dinner to raise awareness about hunger a bit ironic, the event is cleverly planned to demonstrate to participants how hunger works on a global scale. The girls plan on assigning guests to a certain socio-economic class ranging from upper class to just above the poverty line to well below the poverty line.

“We want the size of the groups to be proportional to the real world statistics,” said Chaskes. “If we have 100 guests, we will only place 15 in the upper class group because about only 15 percent of the world’s population is well-off financially.”

Each guest will be assigned a different dinner and dining station according to their grouping. Those at the lower end of the spectrum will be forced to sit on the floor and eat beans and tortillas, while those at the upper echelons will enjoy a multi-course meal as they sit at a decorated table.

“We’re going to have representatives from each setting go to the other groups to describe their situation,” Nevins said. “We’re hoping people will get a better idea of the inequality that takes place in the world even though they don’t see it on a daily basis.”

The girls are also hoping to raise $2,000 for the MAZON organization and help hunger awareness in the process.

MAZON is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting hunger worldwide and to organizing grants for carefully screened hunger-relief agencies.

The organization, which takes its name from the Hebrew word for food, raises nearly $3 million annually to combat hunger. Their motto is “three percent”—they ask all American Jews to donate 3 percent of the cost of a joyous celebration, such as a bar mitzvah or wedding, to MAZON to help the organization pursue it’s goals. This is not the first time Nevins and Chaskes have worked with charity.

“We’ve helped other charities in the past, but fighting hunger is something we’re both definitely passionate about,” said Nevins.

For more information, call (310) 442-0020 or visit www. mazon.org.