Teach NJ Distributes Free Meals to Families

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

By JLNJ Staff | July 16, 2020

In response to COVID-19, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program expanded in order to feed more children. Teach NJ, a division of the Teach Advocacy Coalition, has arranged for the distribution of free kosher meals available at multiple locations throughout New Jersey. The program has waived income eligibility requirements, making its offerings of nutritionally balanced and healthy meals available to all families with children under the age of 18. Pictured at the Bergenfield pickup location are Renee Klyman, the grassroots director of the program, and Evan Carmen, who helps with logistics. (Credit: Amira Isenberg)

By Meira Book, Amira Isenberg and Hannah Kirsch

At the Bergenfield High School pickup location, volunteers and staff work hard to efficiently deliver food to the people participating. Each pickup location has its own weekly sign-up, and all of the food provided has OU certification and adheres to the USDA Summer Food Service Program’s strict health regulations. The food is delivered in boxes and placed directly in the trunk of people’s cars; in each box, there are 14 meals per child. The distribution sites are located in Teaneck, Bergenfield, Elizabeth and Cherry Hill. (Credit: Amira Isenberg)

Residents in the greater MetroWest area can pick up food from Bruriah High School in Elizabeth from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Wednesdays. Residents should arrive with their name and the number of children they will be picking up for visible on their car’s dashboard. The boxes of food, and containers of milk, are placed directly into recipients cars. (r-l) Pateesh Freedman, president of Hillside town council; Steve Karp, executive director of the Jewish Educational Center; Jessica Mehlman, chief planning officer at the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest; Katie Katz, executive director of Teach NJ, and Yael Bleicher, a volunteer coordinator, display some of the kosher food items included in the weekly food packages. (Credit: Hannah Kirsch)

The Teaneck location, which Klyman said is the largest pickup site affiliated with Teach NJ, is located at Yeshivat He’Atid. The boxes are available for pickup each week on Thursdays from noon to 2 p.m. Kosher Experience, Petaks and Five Star Catering prepare and package the food that gets sent out. Katie Katz (left), the executive director of Teach NJ, along with Klyman (right), place boxes of food in a trunk. See https://teachcoalition.org/nj/koshermeals/ for more information about the program. (Credit: Meira Book)

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