Food-Packing Program Helps the Hungry in New York, Especially During Blizzard

Sixth in a series of articles on the 40th anniversary of the worldwide kosher campaign launched by the Rebbe in 1975.

As predictions of the mammoth snowstorm that dumped more than two feet of snow on New York City over the weekend gusted through the news earlier in the week, Sandra Justin brought her three children—Ethan, 9; Zoe, 12; and Talia, 14—to help pack boxes kosher food staples for those in need.

They joined some 40 other volunteers as part of the Chabad Relief Project, an affiliate of Chabad Lubavitch of Midtown Manhattan, which works to assemble and distribute packages of kosher items each month to go to Jews grappling with putting food on their tables. For anyone who thinks hunger is not a problem among New York’s Jewish population, those affiliated with the relief project know very well that it is.

And as the snow indeed walloped the city this weekend, the food delivered earlier in the week proved especially beneficial for the needy, many of whom are elderly.

The organization’s 2016 kickoff event was co-sponsored by Fifth Avenue Synagogue and the Chabad Relief Project. While they’ve had groups of volunteers before, this marked the first official partnership with a synagogue, according to Rabbi Noach Heber, director of the Chabad Relief Project.

“We plan to offer this to other synagogues as well, bringing their own volunteers to pack the boxes of food,” said Heber. “The plan is to have different groups come every month to join us.”

Fifth Avenue Synagogue members—some of whom, like Justin, are also active with the Chabad Relief Project—teamed up with some regulars and guests to pack 200 boxes of nonperishable food for delivery around Manhattan.

All ages were on hand to help.

Under Heber’s direction, the volunteers lined up next to several long tables, assembling the boxes with tape and then filling them with staples like canned fruit and vegetables, tins of tuna fish, boxes of pasta and cereal, and juice. The finished products were stacked onto carts, ready to be moved into waiting vehicles for distribution along eight routes throughout the city.

But first, participants took a short break, chatting over slices of pizza.

Sandra Justin and her husband, Jeffrey, have volunteered with the project since its start four years ago. At last week’s event, they were presented with the Chabad Relief Project’s “Letaken Olam” (“Repair the World”) award, instituted this year to go to a Jewish Manhattanite or couple for their efforts in fighting food insecurity.

Getting the award came as a surprise, according to Jeffrey Justin, a trustee of Fifth Avenue Synagogue. “The real award is everybody here; this is very special,” he said, adding the importance of getting the word out about the Chabad Relief Project. “We come here and pack boxes and deliver them to people in need. You do good; you feel good.”

Many of the recipients are Holocaust survivors, like his own parents. “It’s an important thing to do, and it’s important that people give of themselves,” he explained. “My whole family is here—people I know and I respect are here—it’s just a pleasure.”

The younger set worked to organize and tape the boxes together before packing.

‘All of Us Get to Perform a Mitzvah’

The Chabad Relief Project started in 2012 with a few pilot runs to assist about two-dozen people who called Chabad of Midtown for help. It delivers to the elderly, disabled, parents of disabled children, and under- and unemployed individuals who have difficulty going to a food bank, either because of logistics or embarrassment.

Heber says he intends to expand the project further this year: “We plan on growing this year to serve as many as 300 people. There are many people in Manhattan who need our help.”

Dr. Walter Molofsky, chairman of the board of Fifth Avenue Synagogue, says the event was moving and successful, and that he would participate again if asked. “It informs people who might not know otherwise about the need for this kind of service,” he said. “It’s educational, and it has a functional aspect to it. And all of us get to perform a mitzvah.”

Rivkah Rothschild, an attorney who assists with infrastructure work for the Chabad Relief Project and is also very involved with Fifth Avenue Synagogue, says she now makes packing and delivery a part of her routine. “I did this once or twice, and I was hooked,” she said. “Like calcium—you need calcium in your diet—I needed this in my life.”

Nadia Talel helps stack the packed boxes, all ready to be delivered to homes of the needy.

“We attract many young Jewish professionals to this event, some of whom do not like traditional venues. Young professionals don’t always affiliate with a synagogue, but they like to get together to accomplish something that affects the world,” explained Rothschild. “This is where their sense of community and commitment to a strong Jewish future is nourished.”

Jon Harari, 33, started volunteering with Chabad Relief Project about a year ago and comes as often as he can. Tuesday was his sister’s birthday, and since she lives in Florida, he decided to volunteer in her honor and posted the opportunity to his Facebook page in case anyone wanted to join in as well.

He noted that delivering directly to the recipients is very powerful: “The person-to-person interaction really shows others that someone cares about them.”

Ivan Khafif, 8, came to the event with his mom. He spent the evening preparing the boxes for filling. On his way back down the elevator after the event, he summed it up in three words: “Fun. Fantastic. Exciting.”

As for Sandra Justin, she hopes her kids came away with a sense of the impact of their work, saying that “sometimes, giving even an hour of your time makes a big difference.”

Moreover, she added, “working together as a community gets things done.”

Longtime volunteers Jeffrey and Sandra Justin received the Chabad Relief Project’s “Letaken Olam” award on Tuesday night, instituted this year to a Jewish Manhattanite or couple for their efforts in fighting food insecurity.

Jeffrey Justin, left, and Dr. Walter Molofsky, who said the event was both moving and successful.

Taking time out for a pizza break.

The food distribution takes place monthly, overseen by Rabbi Noach Heber, director of the Chabad Relief Project. To his left is regular volunteer Rivkah Rothschild; to her left is Jon Harari, who has been helping out for the past year and who attended the packing last week in honor of his sister's birthday.

Other articles in the series:

First Kosher Kitchen an Entranceway to a More Spiritual Life

Q&A: Tools of the Koshering Trade: Pots, Rocks, Blow Torch

Keeping Kosher at the Last Stop Before the South Pole

Q&A: 40 Years Later, Leaders Savor the Details of Kosher Campaign’s History

How One Purple Book Revolutionized Kosher Cooking