Mazon grants go to Bay Area groups

Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger awarded $1.45 million in grants this past year to 134 hunger relief organizations, including several in the Bay Area.

Local recipients include St. Mary’s Center in Oakland, the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, the San Francisco Food Bank and the S.F.-based Jewish Family and Children’s Services.

The nonprofit Mazon raises funds primarily from the Jewish community for organizations that combat hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds. Since its founding in 1985, Mazon has granted more than $47 million in support of anti-hunger programs throughout the United States, Israel and other countries.

For more information, visit www.mazon.org.

Israel at 60 talk in S.F.

Consul General David Akov will discuss relations between America and Israel in a speech at the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco at 12 p.m. July 25.

The talk by Akov, who has been at his post with the Israeli Consulate in San Francisco since August 2004, is presented in association with the Jewish Community Relations Council’s Middle East Project.

The Commonwealth Club is located at 595 Market St., S.F. Admission is $15 for nonmembers, $7 for students, free for members. For more information, call (415) 597-6700 or visit www.commonwealthclub.org. n