FOODRAISER AND MORE – RACHEL’S TABLE’S TEEN AND ADULT BOARD SHOP FOR OUR AGENCIES AND THE AFGHAN RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM OF JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE
On November 14th, fifteen teams of teenagers and pre-teens from Granby, South Hadley, Longmeadow and West Springfield, and one team of our Rachel’s Table Advisory Board members, with sponsorship from Taylor Street Dental, purchased 5,126 items that were delivered to Amherst Survival Center, Franklin County Community Meals Program, Providence Ministries, and Jewish Family Service’s Afghan resettlement program. Rachel’s Table also, with support from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, added to that bounty by purchasing Thanksgiving holiday sides for the agencies as well as buying more items from JFS’s wish list for the Afghan resettlement program.
This year, our 2021 Foodraiser was virtual, using the wonderful product donation platform for non-profits, Onedeeds. The items were purchased virtually on Zoom through Onedeeds while the teams communicated with each other via phone, text, or other means. The goal of the Foodraiser is to purchase the MOST AMOUNT of items while staying within a $100 budget and also adhering to the nutritional distribution requirements.
At the event a representative from the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts, ( JFS), who is also a refugee herself, was present to speak and answer questions about their resettlement programs. Rachel’s Table has additionally topped off the Foodraiser donations to JFS with a $6,000 donation towards gift cards from local supermarkets for the 60 Afghani individuals resettling in the Springfield area.
Lev Ben-Ezra, Executive Director of Amherst Survival Center, said upon receiving the bounty from Foodraiser, “What a great addition to the pantry at this time of year. We love the variety and creativity of all the young people who participated. Thanks so much!” The Foodraiser winning teams are announced on RT website, www.rachelstablepv.org, yet, the winners are the agencies, and the community for stepping up. Rachel’s Table offers an answer to the question, “how can I help?” Feel free to reach out to volunteer, sponsor a food drive, or donate to support our mission.