The Sephardic Food Fund

There is an old saying: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” When it comes to tzedaka—real tzedaka—never before has this been as valid as it is today. And this is the raison d’etre of the Sephardic Food Fund and its current emergency efforts.

Trillions of dollars in assets and equity have evaporated during the past few months. Part of the fallout from this monetary meltdown is a significant increase in the number of proud, respected families in our community—in Brooklyn and Deal— that suddenly find themselves literally unable to put food on their tables.

These families are too proud to show how desperate they are. They are too ashamed to ask for help. They live in our community, only they can’t pay their rent or mortgage. Some have cars in their driveway, but can’t afford gas. Their clothing looks the same, but it’s from last year and the year before.  And until very recently their bank accounts looked the same. But now they are empty.

So now, their cars stand idle in the driveways of homes that have no buyers. They keep lights off to save a few dollars. They turn the thermostat down to the minimum, and pile on the sweaters and blankets. And they beg school administrators to cut them some slack because they cannot make the tuition payments.

Yes, they make every effort to appear as if nothing is wrong. As if everything is normal. They hope against hope for a miracle to happen. But this is hardly the economy in which miracles happen. Their desperation grows with each passing day. And panic makes it even harder to see light at the end of the tunnel.

Our sages tell us that the amount of tzedaka we give must allow the recipient to live in the style to which he is accustomed. When an individual or family in need lives in our city, near our home, and has an empty refrigerator, we need to step up and help.

We are talking about upstanding members of the community who have now lost everything they owned. We are talking about women and children who live next door to you, who now have no breadwinner. We are talking about senior citizens  who sit next to you in shul who have lost their life savings.

When these things happen, the community has a responsibility. We all must rise to the occasion and take every necessary step to alleviate their distress. It is not enough to make sure these families in crisis have food and clothing and shelter. Our responsibility as fellow Jews is to help such families weather the crisis with their dignity intact.

The Sephardic Food Fund is that rarest of combinations, a concept that brings tzedaka and hesed together in the most discreet manner possible. The Sephardic Food Fund (SFF) is managed day-to-day by a stellar team of dedicated and very discreet community professionals. They never talk about their work.

In order to salvage the dignity of those whom we help with your dollars, The SFF provides  each family with a normal credit card that can be used to shop exclusively at food vendors—groceries, supermarkets, butchers and fruit/vegetable stores.

The grocer never knows, the butcher never knows, the fruit and vegetable store never knows. These otherwise normal credit cards will only work in a food store—any food store, anywhere. The immediate impact, of course, is that these families do not go hungry.

But the Sephardic Food Fund credit card does much more than fight hunger. Since there is no loss of pride, no compromise on dignity, no public stigma, the credit card enables breadwinners to focus on what’s most important—finding new employment or seeking new business opportunities. Instead of falling into a state of shame and depression, they can hold their heads high without anyone knowing about their problems. And it is much easier to find a job or start a new business from a position of strength.

There have always been families that suddenly encountered financial crisis, and The Sephardic Food Fund has been here to help them.  Today the number of such families has grown exponentially, and new cases are brought to the SFF’s attention each day. Currently the Sephardic Food Fund is helping over 300 families in the Syrian communities of Brooklyn and Deal.  But there are hundreds more families that are praying and waiting in quiet desperation for help that only you can give. They are waiting for you to say “Yes, I’ll help.”

For precisely this reason, there is no excuse for holding back on tzedaka. Any of us could be victims. Those of us who aren’t have a greater responsibility than ever.
Please send your most generous tax-deductible check today. But first ask yourself this question: “If my family were confronting this nightmare how much would we need to weather the crisis, for one year, one month, even one week?” Then, and only then, uncap your pen and fill in the amount.

May Hashem bless you for your kindness.