by Debra Rubin
NJJN Bureau Chief/Middlesex

June 23, 2009

An interfaith anti-hunger effort moved forward as representatives of religious and nonprofit institutions from throughout the county came together to coordinate a plan of action.

About 50 people from church food pantries, Jewish groups, and soup kitchens heard from county agencies, public officials, and nonprofits during a June 15 meeting at Middlesex County College in Edison.

Participants scrawled notes and asked questions as presenters explained how to link with larger nonprofits supplying food, how to get certified as food handlers, and how to best make use of state and federal programs.

The anti-hunger effort was launched three months ago in the offices of the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County.

“What we are doing today is to create rewarding and proactive ways to combat hunger at the local level,” said Jack Goldberg, vice president of the Jewish Family and Vocational Service of Middlesex County during the opening address. “This has never been done before statewide.”

Goldberg said the coalition would “reinvent” the approach taken to alleviating hunger caused by the economic downturn.

“We are all in this together,” he said, adding that the chance to “brainstorm” and “get to know each other” was in keeping with what the Jewish Community Relations Council of Middlesex County and its director, Gabriela Sadote Sleppin, had in mind when reaching out to other religious institutions and groups.

The CRC had received a $4,000 matching grant from the national Confronting Poverty Initiative of the Jewish Council on Public Affairs to launch the liaison with Christian and Muslim groups.

Coordinating the effort with federation was Catholic Charities and JFVS.

The coalition kicked off its initiative around a Passover/Easter food drive, which received “tremendous positive feedback,” said Sleppin.

“The face of poverty is changing in New Jersey due to the economic crisis,” said Sharonda McKinney-Brown, director of agency relations for the Community FoodBank of New Jersey in Hillside. “We now have many more families in need.”

She said the food bank distributed 23 million pounds of food and groceries last year through its member agencies across the state.

Adele LaTourette, director of the New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition, said her Englewood-based group meets monthly with its agency partners at Legal Services of New Jersey in Edison.

“We’re short of food as I’m sure everyone is well aware,” said LaTourette, who said the current administration in Trenton has been open to food assistance programs.

That food shortage has put local pantries in the position of “being something you were never meant to be — emergency food providers,” rather than short-term help for those affected by disasters such as fires or floods or other special circumstances, she said.

LaTourette said with a gubernatorial election coming up and a large deficit in the state budget, legislators needed to be reminded of the need to support food assistance programs.

“They are now line items in the state budget,” which, she said, “are very easily yellowed out.”

Jacob Toporek, executive director of the New Jersey State Association of Jewish Federations, said there were similar concerns at the federal level where President Barack Obama originally proposed cutting emergency food aid from its current $200 million to $100 million in the 2010 budget.

However, the House Subcommittee on Homeland Security, which oversees the emergency food budget, has since restored the money and passed it on to the appropriations committee.

“We are now awaiting Senate action,” said Toporek. “We are hopeful the president will sign the bill with the present $200 million.”

United Jewish Communities, the umbrella group of Jewish federations in North America, has urged federations to conduct letter-writing campaigns to federal legislators to urge passage of the full food aid package.

“I urge all of you to contact your legislators,” Toporek told the group.

Last year Middlesex County received $403,000 in federal money to distribute through United Way to local groups and agencies, said Toporek, a process that is decided by a board that includes JFVS representation.

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JFVS to expand kosher food pantry

In response to rising needs, the Jewish Family and Vocational Service of Middlesex County will expand its kosher food pantry to include dairy products and eggs.

JFVS executive director Sara Levine said new items are expected to be available by July 1.

“We see this as a better way to serve people and provide them with a more well-rounded diet,” she said. “We’ve also had a tremendous amount of canned goods donated to us, which has allowed us to spend money on filling our shelves with other things. People have clearly stepped up to the plate.”

Levine also expects to receive an increase in federal aid, which usually has come in at around $10,000 annually, because of the increasing demand for food.

Although the food will continue to be available at its Milltown office, 32 Ford Ave., arrangements can be made for pick-up at its Monroe office in the Concordia Shopping Center. Drop-offs can be made at either location without an appointment.

In special circumstances, volunteers can deliver food to a synagogue or other location, but the agency does not have the capacity to make deliveries on a regular basis.

Those requesting food must call in advance to make an appointment and so that packages can be tailored to individual needs.

“A family with three children seven and under has different needs from one with three teenage boys,” explained Levine. “There might be someone who is pregnant or diabetic or who has specific dietary needs.”

The food pantry is currently in need of peanut butter, jelly, and rice, but its needs can change quickly, said Levine. It also accepts cash donations, which are used to buy items in short supply.

For information or to make an appointment, call JFVS at 732-777-1940.

— DEBRA RUBIN

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