While Jews throughout America were feasting on apples and honey this holiday season, close to 130 Jewish Chicagoans helped make the new year a little sweeter for the less fortunate in their communities.

On Sunday, Sept. 21, JUF’s Young Leadership Division and its TOV Volunteer Network hosted the third annual fall Feed Chicago, a citywide day of service providing food assistance to those in need in Illinois-where 2.1 million adults and children struggle with hunger every day.

“It’s so important to instill the value of giving back,” said Sammantha Marks, 22, who served lunch to residents at Cornerstone Community Outreach alongside volunteers of all ages. “Growing up, my mom and dad put a high value on contributing all the time we could to the community we lived in. That lesson has been a huge part of why I decided to get involved.”

With 13 projects scheduled across the city, throughout the day, thousands of lives were touched by day’s end. From sorting food donations to cooking meals, the volunteers all made a significant impact at their service sites.

“The members loved having the volunteers here!” said Heather Wirth, program supervisor at the Center for Enriched Living, where volunteers helped adults with special needs make pizzas. “It was a big hit, and it’s so beneficial for them to be able to work with new faces.”

Other organizations hosting projects included: the JUF Uptown Cafe, A Just Harvest, The ARK, Breakthrough Ministries, Connections for the Homeless, Inspiration Corporation, The Lincoln Park Community Shelter, and Maot Chitim.

“We were thrilled by the success of Feed Chicago this year,” said Marissa Comin, event coordinator. “Our projects throughout Chicago made an enormous impact, and helped spread awareness of the needs of our greater community.”

The biannual day of service is just one small part of the JUF’s year-round efforts to fight hunger. More than 4,000 Jews in Chicago are sustained through daily or weekly JUF-funded food programs-which, in 2013, amounted to 470,000 meals, food packages, and grocery cards.

For more information on getting involved through JUF’s TOV Volunteer Network, contact Marissa Comin at [email protected].