At the end of a movie, the credits flow down the screen. We see names upon names of people who contributed to creating a smooth, flawless film. This is the image that comes to mind when one looks behind the scenes at the Sarah Sutton AH, Sephardic Bikur Holim Food Pantry, for the list of volunteers is astounding! From the 250 women who cook fresh meals to fill the pantrys freezers, to the kids who bring cans of food in to school, this is an organization that hums along successfully with the help of a village.
One of the jewels of the pantry is its freezer section. Open one of the huge steel doors and you will see many clear-covered containers filled with rice or roast or ziti or vegetable souffles, as well as other home-cooked meals. Each container is labeled clearly, stating what food is inside and when it was made. There are also brightly colored stickers indicating whether the food inside is meat, dairy or pareve.
This successful and integral part of the pantry began with a trip to Israel, a desire, a committee, and a great idea. About three years ago, Selena Gindi visited a soup kitchen in Jerusalem with her family. She was amazed at how this experience stood out in her childrens minds as being the highlight of their trip. Her son peeled potatoes. They all served food. She said, A persons most basic needs include having something to eat. It is so simple and so important. I decided from that trip, that I wanted to do something like that in our community.
At this same time, Rachel Sutton was looking for an opportunity to get involved in a project that would help people who were struggling to put food on their tables. She also wanted to boost awareness for the pantry, which bares the name of her husbands grandmother. Sarah Sutton AH, was an exceptionally charitable woman who loved to feed people and help anyone in need. Rachel wanted to emulate her.
So, two years ago, the two women met with SBH Director of Development, Charles Anteby and SBH Director of Volunteers, Danielle Wahba Mandalowi. They launched Family Plus One, a program that calls upon community women to add one dish to their own freshly cooked meals and donate it to the pantry. In a matter of two weeks, an army of volunteers signed up.
Now, the committee comprised of Raquel Habert, Ricci Haddad, Selena Gindi, Lisa Klein, Jaclyn Marcos, and Rachel Sutton, mobilize into action filling the Brooklyn airwaves with hundreds of hesed texts weekly. Today, there are over 250 women cooking, 13 captains organizing them, and 30 drivers delivering for the program!
In yet another exciting new program, SBH has partnered with RAM Caterers to share the semachot (celebrations) of the community with those in need. From now on, every family that has a catered affair is offered the option of donating the leftovers to the food pantry. After each affair, RAM staff packs up all the leftover food and delivers it to the pantry. The food is then distributed within 48 hours. What an amazing way to take the excess food and help those in need. In just the few months since the start of this effort, hundreds of containers filled with delicious food have arrived at the pantry and have been distributed.
City Harvest and Met Council, two government-funded agencies are the two main contributors to the pantry. Every other week Met Council delivers four skids (three to four feet high) of non-perishable food, which take about two to three hours to unpack. Every Monday, City Harvest delivers fresh vegetables and bread.
Recognizing that the pantry needed more assistance in keeping the shelves full, Esther Terzi and her captains Audrey Adjmi, Janet Harary, and Sarah Maleh each created lists of women they text to alert when the pantry is in need of a certain three items. Example: This week the pantry needs lemon juice, oil and flour.
Two local retailers, Khasky and Kosher Korner have joined in to help as well. Upon customer request, they send special items over to SBH. The pantry now receives a few boxes a week from these efforts.
Volunteer and one of the coordinators of Family Plus One, Sophia Mizrahi, said that she is saddened to think that there are people who have bare cabinets.
Food Pantry manager, Ilene Stavrach, says, As soon as the items come in, they fly out.
Ilene turns some cans of corn around so the labels all face forward and says, You know, one woman really impressed me by saying that she feels no shame in receiving help from the pantry. Rather, she is extremely proud and happy to be part of a community that is caring and able to help her.
Another thing that impresses Ilene is when clients come from the other side of the wall to unpack boxes, bag items and organize the shelves. They feel good after their sessions and just want to give back.
So many people step forward to help out, Ilene continues. Including the young. Every Monday night, there are about 20 teens that come in to package and deliver pantry items and meals. In addition to this, there are the can-drives that The Yeshivah of Flatbush, Magen David Yeshivah, Shaare Torah, Barkai, and YDE all participate in. The students also gather to prepare food for the freezers and take field trips to the pantry, where they are put to work.
Chairman of the pantry, Al Falack, became enamored with Bikur Holim when he was in high school. (He even met his wife there!) His second favorite memory is when two years ago, a very special contractor from New Jersey came in four nights a week to help a bunch of teens remodel the 10-year-old pantry. With hard hats on and sledgehammers in hand, these volunteers got a true education in construction. Talk about building hesed
Some people may feel that if they need the use of a food pantry, they have hit a point of no return, Says Al. But I view it differently. Every person goes through some kind of hardship, at some point in life. While surely it is uncomfortable to be in need, we at SBH view the help we provide as an investment in the persons future. If someone is struggling to pay his or her bills, they should not pass it by. Its a great community resource. I call it the best kept secret that shouldnt be a secret.
For more information about the pantry, call Ilene at (718) 787-1100. To cook or volunteer for the pantry, call Danielle at (718) 787-1100.
If you are interested in being alerted when the pantry is low on certain items call or text Esther Terzi at (917) 270-5541.
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Renee Beyda is a community member, freelance writer and an artist living in Brooklyn.
