With the summer quickly approaching, Englewood teen residents Moshe Shoenfeld and Jaclyn Wildes sprang into action with a swift and effective fundraising campaign in order to benefit the Center for Food Action’s (CFA) Weekend Snack Pack Program, a cause to which they are truly committed.
Throughout the school year, the CFA distributes filling and easy-to-prepare snack bags for local area students to bring home over the weekends, so that they can return to school on Monday focused, fed and ready to learn.
“While many adolescents look forward to the end of the school year and summer treats such as ice cream cones, picnics in the park and slushies to keep them cool, there are other kids in our community who are worried all year long about having enough food to keep them nourished and feeling full,” said Wildes.
When Shoenfeld and Wildes realized that the CFA was running low on resources to provide these essential items, the sophomores, who attend The Frisch School in Paramus and the Ramaz Upper School in New York City, respectively, were eager to help out. After creating their own online fundraising account, they reached out to family and friends on social media, through email and the old fashioned way, by word of mouth. “Our faith and traditions have taught us that it is our responsibility to help others,” Shoenfeld wrote.
This is not Shoenfeld and Wildes’s first foray into local community service. The friends have been assisting Englewood’s former mayor (Wildes’s father), Michael Wildes, with his Thanksgiving donations for as long as they can remember. Along with other city residents, Wildes and Shoenfeld have prepared and delivered Thanksgiving packages to residents at the Vincent K. Tibbs Senior Citizen building for many years now.
Jennifer Johnson, Director of Communications and Community Relations at the Center for Food Action had this to say about the caring duo: “We are extraordinarily grateful to Jaclyn and Moshe for their commitment and dedication to helping local children in need by supporting CFA’s Weekend Snack Pack Program. We are pleased to announce that they will collectively be one of this year’s sponsors of our National Day of Service and Remembrance event on 9/11. Perhaps, Jaclyn and Moshe’s service will incentivize others to follow their lead. Please join with them and #SayNo2Hunger.”
While Shoenfeld and Wildes have reached their own personal fundraising goal, the CFA still needs financial contributions to help keep the shelves stocked over the summer as well as to have enough snack packs on hand for the beginning of the school year in September. In this vein, Shoenfeld and Wildes will work alongside other volunteers and community members at the Englewood Field Club on September 11 to assist with the assembly of these bags.
To learn more about the weekend snack pack program, visit http://cfanj.org/who-we-are/programs/weekend-snack-pack-program.
