One of MAZON's missions is to bring awareness of poverty and hunger to Jewish life cycle events, including Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations.
As they write on their Bar/Bat Mitzvah Page:
"Your bar or bat mitzvah day is one of the few that will stay with you all of your life. Our Jewish tradition tells us to mark special occasions by celebrating with family and friends, in part so that these memorable days will remain with us forever.
An accompanying tradition teaches us to deepen our happiness by sharing our joyous celebrations with people in need. It is especially appropriate to do so on the day of a bar/bat mitzvah, when a child becomes an adult and accepts responsibility for fulfilling the mitzvah of tzedakah.
On the day of your bar/bat mitzvah, millions of children in America and around the world will go hungry, as they do every day. Taken together, these two things (the tragedy of hunger and the happiness of a bar/bat mitzvah) represent the joy and sorrow of life. Both deserve your family's attention...Make this day even more special by providing food and other help, through MAZON, to poor families everywhere. You will enrich their lives —and your own. "
To honor the joys and responsibilities associated with this sacred right of passage, MAZON suggests giving 3% of the cost of your celebration to help fight hunger.
As with any donation you make in honor of your bar or bat mitzvah be sure to tell your guests about your eco-friendly and humanitarian choices. Mazon offers a few "unobtrusive ways to tell your guests that you’re sharing your bar/bat mitzvah with those in need" including:
1. Putting the information on the table cards (my husband and I used this technique for our wedding - you can see a picture by clicking here)
2. Giving certificates to honor your rabbi, cantor, friends or relatives.
3. Putting In lieu of Gift cards in your invitations so guests can make a contribution in your honor.
(You can find hyperlinked samples of all of the above by clicking here).
They also offer a model bar/bat mitzvah speech that incorporates their anti-hunger message - which is good news for any bar or bat mitzvah struggling to find the right words to inspire the congregation!
You can take the MAZON message one step further by doing what a friend of mine at his Bar Mitzvah - create centerpieces with baskets of canned goods and donate them to a local food bank after the event. Perhaps you can even make a large sculpture on the dance floor like these amazing creation from the 15th Annual Design/Build Competition Awards Gala in New York
Finally, see if your caterer can donate leftover food to one of the many Second Harvest locations.
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