TEANECK, N.J.—In honor of Martin Luther King Day, thousands of people around the country participate in a Day of Service. By doing so, they get the opportunity to help others and understand that all people are equal, the ideal for which King fought so passionately.
On Jan. 21, the National Council of Jewish Women Bergen County Section honored that tradition by assembling 1,500 snack packs for school children from low income families in conjunction with the Center for Food Action.
Over 60 NCJW BCS members went to work that day packing bags with portions of mac and cheese, whole grain cereal, meat ravioli, fruit, raisins, milk and juice.
The event was held in Temple Emeth in Teaneck and directed by CFA Coordinator of Outreach Programs Lori Oliff, with assistance from NCJW BCS Co-presidents Elizabeth Halverstam, Bari Lynn Schwartz and Ruth Seitelman.
Each Friday afternoon, the packs are discreetly placed in the backpacks of students in 26 schools throughout Bergen County to provide them with weekend nourishment.
“We have distributed 36,000 snack packs this year based on the generosity of the community,” Oliff said. “We bring snack packs to elementary schools, middle schools and high schools, and we have expanded our program to include boys and girls clubs and public libraries.”
She continues, “We did 11 snack packing events for Martin Luther King Day. Our snack packing events for Martin Luther King Day and for 9/11 are funded by a national grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service. We were one of 11 programs nationwide that received this grant.”
In addition to the snack packs program, CFA has other initiatives such as emergency holiday packages, and, in total, the organization provides food to 56,000 people each year.
“Our MLK snack packing event serves two purposes,” said Marcia Levy, a CFA board member and NCJW BCS past president who chairs of the organization’s CFA committee. “It makes our NCJW BCS community aware of the needs of their neighbors, and it is another tool in the fight against child hunger. The program has expanded into schools in several towns in Bergen County. The packs are very well received by the students and their families and our members enjoy the activity.”
NCJW BCS Co-President Elizabeth Halverstam agreed.
“National Council of Jewish Women Bergen County Section is delighted to partner once again with the Center for Food Action to pack snacks for some of our local schoolchildren who would otherwise go hungry on weekends when they do not have enough to eat,” Halverstam said.
NCJW BCS members were all smiling as they completed filling 1,500 snack packs. This project, as well as many other of the organization’s initiatives, help women and their families and strengthen communities throughout Bergen County. In doing so, they honor the legacy of King, the fight against poverty and his ideals of equality, dignity, and civil rights.
