by Elaine Durbach
NJJN Bureau Chief/Central

March 5, 2009

On this supermarket trip, when the kids start saying, “Pleeeease can we have…?” for once parents may find themselves smiling.

The March 22 Supermarket Sweep Foodraiser at the ShopRite in Clark is designed to stock the Kosher Food Pantry of the Jewish Family Service of Central New Jersey, and youngsters will play a key role.

The event is being organized by the social action committee of the Jewish Federation of Central NJ in conjunction with area synagogues (see box).

Since the demand for food assistance began soaring last year as the economy dipped, the committee has assigned someone different each week to ask their friends and neighbors for food donations. But the March 22 event has a different emphasis: Elyse Deutsch, who cochairs the committee with Janice Weinberg and Lisa Israel, said they wanted to give children a hands-on way to join that effort, and hopefully, a taste of the addictive pleasure of helping others.

Israel, of Westfield, has taken part in the monthly food collections. She said, “A few months ago, I was delivering some food to JFS and I saw that the pantry shelves were practically bare. It was very upsetting to see, knowing that so many people rely on the food they receive from JFS.”

She said she will take part in the sweep with her three daughters, 10-year-old Sara and eight-year-old twins Elisha and Michelle. The girls have been involved in other mitzva projects. For their recent birthday parties, for example, their friends were asked to give books instead of gifts, to be donated to the Global Literacy Foundation. But the “Foodraiser” struck Israel as particularly worthwhile.

“We take for granted that there is always plenty of food in the house and that whatever we want at the supermarket we can buy,” she said. “I want my kids to think about what it might feel like not to have as much food as you want.”

Maximize purchases

The organizers are suggesting that everyone form teams — they can be of any size, so long as there is at least one adult leading the group.

Armed with lists of the kinds of food JFS needs and the various kosher symbols, they will have from 2 to 4 p.m. to spend however much they choose. The goal is to maximize what they can purchase for that amount, by using all the coupons and special offers they can find.

There will be prizes — Target gift cards for first-, second-, and third-place winners — going to the teams that make their dollars stretch the furthest. There will also be a donation made to the organization that fields the most teams.

The manager of the Clark ShopRite, Seth Wertz, agreed to host the event on a Sunday, but asked that it be held a little later in the day, after the morning rush. He has welcomed the “contestants” and said he will dedicate a certain number of check-out cashiers to them.

When the shopping is completed, everyone will be invited to head over to JFS headquarters on Westfield Avenue in Elizabeth. They will be given a tour of the food pantry and an overview of how it works and whom it serves. The prizes will be presented to the Foodraiser contest winners, and door prizes will be given out.

For JFS, the Foodraiser is coming at a crucial time. Tom Beck, the executive director of the agency, pointed out that hardship can strike anyone, even those who least expect it — and has done so. He said that among those coming to the agency for help have been people who were once donors themselves — and, hopefully, will be again. But for now, they and many who were struggling even before the downturn will get some relief from this intergenerational effort.

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