YOF Children Help Fill SBH Food Pantry

Yeshivah of Flatbush principals were truly excited to introduce Charles Anteby, Director of Volunteer Services of Sephardic Bikur Holim to all the Lower Division children. Anteby visited the school to jump-start a powerful hesed program whose success literally lies in the students’ hands.

YOF’s Early Childhood through Middle Division children are taking on the job of helping to fill the SBH Food Pantry for children who are just like themselves, but whose families simply can’t afford food. It’s a year-long project whereby each Rosh Hodesh, students bring in unopened food products to stock the SBH Food Pantry, which has two locations—in Brooklyn and Deal—and is open to families, both Sephardic and Ashkenazi.

Anteby, a graduate of the Yeshivah of Flatbush, encouraged the children to see that filling the food pantry was a special job made just for them, and that every person, no matter how young, can contribute to a great cause.

The concept fits right in with the yeshivah’s ongoing hesed curriculum and myriad projects, which build empathy in the children for others from a very young age—instilling in them the Jewish values of helping those less fortunate, and while doing so, to avoid causing any embarrassment.

The pantry is like a supermarket, with aisles stocked according to food category. Each YOF grade will focus on bringing in different food types, which will be rotated over the year. To start, breakfast items were requested from Early Childhood—such as cereal, oatmeal, pancake mix, maple syrup, breakfast bars, hot chocolate coffee; spices, sauces and salad dressings from Lower Division; baking items from Middle Division students—such as cake mixes, sugar, flour, yeast, oil, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cocoa, and chocolate chips.

Because the students will provide a wide variety of foods, clients of the food pantry can walk up and down its well stocked aisles and leave with a variety of healthy items. Any food product with proper kosher supervision will be accepted as long as it is unopened.

Coordinating the project is quite a feat, and supervising it all is YOF parent and alumna Rochelle Dweck, who is teaming up with Special Projects Coordinator Lea Fink in Lower Division, Ellen Pearlman in Middle Division, and a terrific contingent of parents, grade leaders and supportive faculty members.

Rosh Hodesh Kislev arrived a few days after the assemblies and students responded in full force. Children placed the food they brought to school into clean new boxes donated by Pomegranate Supermarket, and an 8th grade student team prepared the 50 boxes for pickup in the school lobby. Soon the food was on its way to feed needy families.

Students will be visiting the food pantry in the days to come, where they can help unpack boxes, set up food on shelves, and see the results of their efforts.

Elementary School Principal Rabbi Lawrence Schwed spoke of how proud he was of the children’s response to the drive: “Our children are taking part in the mitzvah of kol Yisrael arevim zeh lazeh—all Israel is responsible for one another. Over the summer, I was trying to come up with a hesed project that would be school wide and year long. When Rochelle mentioned this idea to me, I knew it was perfect for us. I want the children to understand that doing hesed is a lifelong commitment, not something you do once and you’re done. This should be part of their consciousness as they grow up.”

Anteby initiated the food pantry project together with Selena Gindi. He hopes that many yeshivot throughout the community will join in.
________________
Diane Chabbott is a writer, editor and publicist at the Yeshivah of Flatbush.