Officials from Kings supermarkets presented two Jewish-run agencies with $2,000 each in gift cards as they celebrated the grand reopening of the Livingston store after an extensive renovation that included the creation of a new kosher food section.

“This donation means we can support our families in need and they don’t have to choose between paying rent or a winter coat and putting food on the table. Every day we can help people not have to make this decision helps their mental health,” said Diane Squadron, CEO of the Jewish Family Service of Greater MetroWest (JFS), adding, “Food insecurity is a real need.”

Squadron estimates that the gift cards will benefit about 50 clients.

Andrea G. Bier, president of JFS, noted that the gift cards will help struggling families, senior citizens and victims and survivors of domestic abuse who are being aided by JFS’s Rachel Coalition program, allowing them all to “shop with dignity.”

She noted that the renovated store is centrally located in the area, which will help clients, including those who are looking for kosher and glatt kosher items.

Also receiving gift cards was LifeTown, the inclusive educational and recreational center, created by Friendship Circle in Livingston. Accepting the donation on its behalf was CEO Rabbi Zalman Grossbaum.

“A community is a sum of its parts and having this in our community strengthens the whole,” he told The Jewish Link. “We appreciate the generous support of Kings. This will help families who are struggling as costs for goods increase.”

An official with Kings said they love working with and investing in the local community, calling it a “great day for the neighborhood, for the community, for Kings and for our associates.”

At the grand reopening, a variety of kosher products was on display for sampling, including gourmet chocolates, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in front of the store to mark the occasion.