Albert and Kitty Wainer died of Alzheimer’s disease. In their memory, their son and daughter-in-law Howard and Sandra and granddaughter Heather have made a $25,000 donation to provide kosher meals-on-wheels for Monroe residents.
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March 31, 2009
Howard and Sandra Wainer of Monroe decided the best way to give thanks for their success in life is to help others.
Two years ago they started the Wainer Foundation to give to many causes, particularly the homeless and Alzheimer’s disease, which claimed the life of Howard’s brother and parents.
“Over the years I’ve made a sizable amount of money, and I wanted to give back to a variety of charities,” he explained.
To kick off the Monroe Township Inter-Community Council Passover food drive of the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County, the couple donated $25,000 to provide kosher meals-on-wheels for Monroe residents.
The gift, made with their daughter, Heather, of Weehawken, was donated in memory of Howard’s parents, Albert and Kitty, formerly of Brooklyn.
Howard Wainer is the former publisher of Whole Food Magazine, a trade publication for health food stores. (Heather has taken over running the publication.) The couple formerly lived in Sayreville, Edison, and Scotch Plains before moving to the Greenbriar Whittingham community about 10 years ago.
“Federation has always done wonderful work,” said Howard. “My mother-in-law got meals-on-wheels. I went to Jewish Family Service for counseling and support when my parents had Alzheimer’s.”
Sandra said that although the couple was lucky to be able to pay for her mother’s meals, others are not so fortunate.
“There are so many people who are shut-ins with no resources,” she said. “Their children don’t live here. They don’t want to go into a nursing home and there’s no one to help them. Howie wanted to do something for his parents, and we both felt this was something that we could do that would really help people in this community that don’t have anything.”
The annual food drive collects Passover food items and money for the kosher food bank of the Jewish Family & Vocational Service of Middlesex County.
Howard and Sandra Wainer of Monroe and their daughter Heather have made a $25,000 contribution to fund kosher meals-on-wheels as part of a Passover food drive for Monroe’s Jewish community.
Photos courtesy Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County
This year the drive is participating in the Feinstein Foundation 2009 Food Challenge, a program run by Cranston, RI, philanthropist Alan S. Feinstein that will match up to $40,000 in funds collected by any agency or group to fight hunger.
The drive and collection is separate from federation’s participation in the interfaith Middlesex County Coalition to Combat Poverty and Hunger.
The Monroe food drive will hold an open house with refreshments Tuesday, March 31, 2-4 p.m. at the Monroe JFVS office at 52 Concordia Shopping Center. Suggested items to contribute include: gefilte fish, matza meal, potato pancake mix, regular or egg matza, soup, canned vegetables, fruit, tuna or sardines, vegetable oil, sugar, candy, macaroons, cookies, tea bags, and grape juice.
All food must be kosher for Passover.
Checks to the fund drive should be made to JFGMC and mailed to the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County, 230 Old Bridge Turnpike, South River, NJ 08882. Write “FOOD” on memo line of check. For information, call 732-432-7711, ext. 10.
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