360 challahs, one day, and a community coming together — that’s the goal for Jewish Family Service of San Diego’s first-ever day-long challah baking event, set for Sunday, Sept. 14. Volunteers will bake bread to support Holocaust survivors, families, and individuals experiencing hunger, combining hands-on learning with a meaningful act of service.
San Diego — Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) is bringing together 100 volunteers of all faiths and backgrounds for the event, which will take place at the Loonin Family Kitchen on JFS’s Joan & Irwin Jacobs Campus. Participants will attend one of four 1.5-hour sessions, which include time in the kitchen and a tour of the campus, including Lieber’s Corner Market, where the challahs will be distributed to those in need.
Marissa Dates, author of Modern Jewish Breads and JFS associate director of community and volunteer engagement, along with JFS staff, will guide participants through the baking process.
“This is our largest event yet for the newly added challah bake program,” Dates said. “It’s a meaningful way for community members to volunteer and directly support people experiencing hunger.”
Challah bakes are offered year-round and can be booked seven days a week, 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. JFS recommends setting aside 1.5 to 2 hours for each event. The cost is $18 per person, which includes dough and materials.
The event takes place at the Turk Family Center, JFS–Joan & Irwin Jacobs Campus, 8804 Balboa Avenue, San Diego.
Participants will learn how JFS tackles food insecurity in the community while making challahs for shoppers at Lieber’s Corner Market, a unique on-campus grocery store where people select healthy food using points based on their family size and needs. Attendees can see the process for themselves during a campus tour.
Challah bakes are part of JFS’s broader mission to help those in the community facing food insecurity, including Holocaust survivors who often rely on agency services for basic needs.
The day-long event offers a unique opportunity to combine hands-on learning with volunteering, as attendees knead, braid, and bake challahs that will be shared across the community. Photos and interviews with Dates and participants will be available during the sessions, which run from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 3 to 4:30 p.m.
For more information about volunteering with JFS or future challah bakes, visit jfssd.org.
