Bergenfield’s Gluten Free Gemach, a limited-time gemach that only operates the week immediately following Pesach, recently completed its largest and most busy season. Because traditional wheat leavening products are not used for Pesach food production, many Pesach items happen to also be gluten free, including many items made with almond flour or potato starch as primary ingredients.
During Chol Hamoed, Miriam Rosenfeld announced that her family would once again be hosting the gemach in their home, inviting those with unused, sealed gluten free items to drop them off following the chag. While no one in the Rosenfeld household needs to adhere to a gluten free diet, the family has managed several food allergies over the years and understands the challenges that a gluten free diet can present.
What she was particularly moved by this year was receiving a large donation of beautiful boxed cakes and cookies from Cedar Market, which filled three shopping carts and several large boxes. Many individuals from the community also donated their sealed products, including almond flour, snacks, cereal and grocery items like ketchup and oils. In all, more than 5,000 items were donated.
Rosenfeld, who hosts the gemach along with her husband Jeffrey and their sons Yitzchak, Moshe, Eli and Avi, said she was particularly grateful for Cedar Market’s donation and also for the community members who lent dozens of shelves with which to display the products, noting that tables alone this year were not sufficient to display the sheer number of items received.
She also added that she was buoyed to hear that ten or more other communities now also do gluten free gemachs following Pesach, and was happy to continue the gemach this year as well.
The Bergenfield Gluten Free Gemach is a completely free project, though the Rosenfelds make a few pushkas available in case anyone wants to make a donation, and they said that any monies received would be sent to Tomchei Shabbos of Bergen County. She shared that this year any leftover sealed food items would be sent to local food pantries.
