(Courtesy of Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Northern NJ) The JFCS Corner Market Kosher Food Pantry is essential to our community. With hundreds of Northern New Jersey families still struggling to put food on their tables, it is just as important as ever that our food pantry continues to be a place of refuge for the food insecure. In order to meet the needs of the 700+ families who depend on our pantry, we depend on the generosity of the volunteers in our community. Families, adults, children, businesses, schools, synagogues, Girl Scout troops, bar/bat mitzvah kids … the list goes on and on when it comes to who in the community steps in to volunteer and lend a helping hand in the pantry.
At JFCS, our food pantry offers everyone the opportunity to help fight food insecurity through our robust volunteer program. Anyone can organize a food drive, come to our pantry, stock the shelves, and learn more about how our pantry helps those in need. For all the volunteers involved, giving back to the community through our food pantry leaves a lasting memory.
We recently hosted 80 students from Yeshivat Noam in Paramus who collected dozens of boxes of kosher food and donated them to our Corner Market. They stocked the shelves and got a sneak peek into how a food pantry operates. The students also donated art and school supplies which they packed into bags that they decorated — these supplies were given out to local children in need. By the end of the day, these students partook in a unique and fulfilling opportunity that taught them valuable lessons of chesed and tzedaka.
The opportunity to give back is more personal to some. One of our food pantry volunteers recently sent us this message: “My husband had to flee Russia 20 years ago (where his family was persecuted for being Jewish), and Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Northern NJ was the one who supported his family of new immigrants. Now, it is our honor to volunteer and help others in need.”
Our food pantry clients are happy every day to have the Corner Market as a lifeline in their time of need, and it is because of you, our community of volunteers, that JFCS can continue offering the support it does to anyone who needs our help.
JFCS is a mental health and social services agency that serves Bergen, Passaic and Hudson counties. We are dedicated to ensuring the well-being of everyone in the community who needs help. No matter your situation, JFCS is here for you. To learn more about JFCS, donate, volunteer, or request services, visit jfcsnnj.org or contact us at [email protected] or (201) 837-9090.
