In Bergen County, home to some of the wealthiest bedroom communities in the northeast, too many people live in poverty—and to our collective disgrace—children go to bed hungry every night.

Can we break the cycle of poverty in our own communities? Please join the National Council of Jewish Women Bergen County Section for a community-wide forum on the issues of hunger, homelessness and the lack of affordable housing in Bergen County. This notable event will take place on November 10, at 12:30 pm at Temple Emeth, 1666 Windsor Road, Teaneck. Light refreshments will be served. The forum will be open to the general public at no charge.

A panel of experts from Bergen County government and social service organizations will give an eye-opening account of the problems, the causes and possible solutions. Featured on the panel are Lizette Parker, supervisor, Bergen County Board of Social Services and mayor of Teaneck; Lynn Bartlett, executive director, County of Bergen Housing Authority; Julia Orlando, director, Bergen County Housing, Health and Human Service Center; Kate Duggan, director, Family Promise of Bergen County; and Adele H. LaTourette, director, New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition.

NJ Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg will moderate the discussion. More than thirty coalition partners have joined NCJW BCS on this key issue.

“Income inequality is one of the most significant and shameful issues of our time—globally, nationally and locally,” stated NCJW BCS’s advocates Ina Miller-Silverstein and Joan Snider. “In the U.S., even though the economy has improved for many of us, the poverty level has remained endemic and static. In some areas, it has even grown worse. In Bergen County the suburban pockets of working poor, hungry and homeless families and individuals are right here in the midst of affluent communities. Although pervasive, this is, for the most part, hidden from view. This panel discussion will help us understand what we should expect from government agencies, the private sector and nonprofit organizations.”

Since its founding in 1893, NCJW’s mission has revolved around quality-of-life concerns for women, children and families. Bergen County Section has for many years worked with leaders within the Bergen County human services community to address income inequality and fight the poverty hidden among us.

By Elizabeth Halverstam