(FJC.ru) During the week leading up to Chanukah, the Shaarei Tsedek Charity Center in Moscow is handing out 15,000 specially-prepared food-aid packages in honor of the Festival of Lights. Each parcel contains the 12 most-used products in food preparation and are certified by the Kashrut Department of Russia's Chief Rabbinate.

More than 1,000 people received the first food packages on Nov. 21. They also received a 30-page in-depth brochure on the history and traditions of Chanukah, as well as how to light the menorah and recipes for special holiday meals.

Recipients are also getting containers of jelly-filled donuts, a traditional Chanukah food item, baked on premises at Shaarei Tsedek, located in Moscow's Marina Roscha neighborhood.

Sharei Tsedek is run under the auspices of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia.