This year, we are once more encouraging JCCs to organize a fresh food drive to collect and donate apples in honor of Rosh Hashanah. For millions of low-income people living in “food deserts,” fresh foods such as apples, carrots, bananas, potatoes
and onions are too often a luxury. This can lead to unhealthy eating practices, malnutrition, and serious health problems. 
For example, two-thirds of adults in the US and nearly one in three children are overweight or obese—a condition that increases their risk for diabetes, heart disease and other chronic illnesses. It may seem strange that obesity is a sign of malnutrition, but too much weight can indicate that a person is eating an unhealthy diet. Organizing a fresh-food drive in your community is a great way to help people eat more heathfully.
Apples are the fruit associated with Rosh Hashanah, at least among Ashkenazic Jews, but it’s not the only New Year fruit. Pomegranates with their 613 seeds, which are supposed to represent the 613 mitzvot or commandments, are traditional. The custom of eating “new fruits” on the second night of the holiday might include figs, pears, or quince–any fruit that’s recently come into season that you haven’t eaten yet.
Contact your JCC to organize a fresh-food drive to donate to a local food pantry or shelter. For information about the “An Apple A Day” Campaign to Feed Those in Need, contact, Barbara Lerman-Golomb, Social Responsibility Consultant at barbara@jcca.org.
