Stop & Shop Donates One Ton of Kosher for Passover Food to the Rina Shkolnik Kosher Food Pantry

Five Town area Rabbis and elected officials show their support as Stop & Shop donates one ton of Kosher for Passover food to the Rina Shkolnik Kosher Food Pantry in Woodmere.

Stop & Shop made an emergency donation of one ton of Kosher for Passover food to the Rina Shkolnik Kosher Food Pantry. Officials say there are over 20,000 Jewish people living in poverty in Southwestern Nassau and Eastern Queens.

“It is our hope that families in need will be able to enjoy Passover. Our effort to assist the residents of The Five Towns, Nassau County and Eastern Queens underscores Stop & Shop’s commitment to the communities we serve,” said Arlene Putterman, Manager of Public and Community Relations of Stop & Shop's NY Metro Division. “We appreciate the efforts of the dedicated volunteers of the Rina Shkolnik Kosher Food Pantry and of our elected officials as we work together to make this a joyful Passover.”

"The Passover season is a time to gather and celebrate. For those in our community who live in poverty, it's a time of distress as families and individuals struggle to put food on the table, said Joel A. Block, the Executive Director of The Marion and Aaron Gural JCC. “We are sincerely thankful to Stop & Shop for their generous donation of food and for making it possible for the entire community to share the joy of the holiday."

Clergy from Five Town Synagogues including: Rabbi Matt Futterman of Temple Beth El in Cedarhurst, Rabbi Steven Graber of Temple Hillel in North Woodmere, Rabbi Ephraim Polakoff of Congregation Bais Tefilah in Woodmere, and Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum of Temple Israel in Lawrence attended. The Rabbis were joined by elected officials including: Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, Hempstead Supervisor Anthony Santino, Hempstead Council Members Bruce Blakeman and Anthony D'Esposito, and Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky.

The Stop & Shop donation included: Matzah, Matzah meal, canned vegetables, canned salmon and canned tuna, gefilte fish, egg noodles, grape juice, apple juice, boxed mixes of potato kugle, boxed mixes of cakes, packaged soup mixes and apple sauce.

“Although Jews invoke the words “Kol dichfin yeitei v’yechul,” “Let all who are hungry come and eat,” every year at the Passover seder, how many of us actually go in search of hungry people to feed?” asked Rabbi Matt Futterman of Temple Beth El in Cedarhurst. “I commend Stop & Shop for their commitment to adding texture to the words by donating a ton of Kosher for Passover food to the Rina Shkolnik Kosher Food Pantry. We should all pray and work with organizations like these to make Passover a time for eventually celebrating an end to hunger in our communities if not everywhere.”

Rabbi Steven Graber of Temple Hillel in North Woodmere stated, “The psalmist taught that God opens up his hand and satisfies every living thing with favor. When we help to feed the unfortunate amongst us, we become God's hands. Stop & Shop's donation to the Shkolnik Kosher Food Pantry will help the pantry perform God's work for many families this Passover.”

"Our Rabbis teach that performing acts of kindness is one of the pillars of the world. In today's world it is refreshing to see an organization such as the Rina Shkolnik Kosher Food Pantry whose single goal and mission is to help others in need, especially before the holidays,” said Rabbi Ephraim Polakoff, of Congregation Bais Tefilah in Woodmere. “I commend Stop and Shop for their generous donation to the food pantry and for being true models of the Jewish values of kindness and charity."

“The holiday of Passover is the first liberation holiday in recorded history. Its message to free those who are shackled still resonates today, 3300 years after our liberation from Egypt,” said Rabbi Jay H. Rosenbaum, of Temple of Temple Israel in Lawrence. “Today too many are enslaved and feel the pain of not being able to provide for their families as they gather around the kitchen table. This takes on deeper meaning on the holiday of Passover at a time since our birth as a nation; we have made sure that every Jew has what is necessary to provide a Seder for his or her family. It is in this spirit and with a great sense of gratitude that we thank Stop & Shop for providing members of our community in need, through the JCC Pantry, the food for the Seder table. We thank them for their generosity enabling us collectively to fulfill that which the “Holy” commanded us millennia ago, a message we will convey at our Seders on the eve of Passover: “All who are in need, come join us and share in our holiday meal.”

“On behalf of the community, I thank Stop & Shop for its generosity. This contribution will allow families in need to properly celebrate the Passover holiday, said Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano. “It is important that caring corporate citizens like Stop & Shop continue to work closely with the County to support the efforts of the Rina Shkolnik Kosher Food Pantry and all those who strengthen the social safety net that is needed to protect any Nassau resident in need.”

“No family should have to struggle to put dinner on the table, especially during what is one of the holiest seasons on the Jewish calendar,” Hempstead Town Supervisor Anthony J. Santino said. “Thanks to the generosity of Stop & Shop and fine work by all of the organizations that benefit the Rina Shkolnik Kosher Food Pantry, they are doing their part to ensure families who are less fortunate will have the opportunity to enjoy symbolic meals throughout Passover.”

“There’s nothing more emblematic of the Passover season than when the community comes together to help fellow neighbors in need,” Hempstead Town Councilman Bruce Blakeman said. “Providing the essential foods and ingredients for families in need of assistance is a wonderful gesture during a time of family, reflection and prayer. Thank you to Stop & Shop and to all of the generous organizations that contribute to the Rina Shkolnik Kosher Food Pantry for their commendable efforts.”

“We are grateful for such wonderful neighbors like Stop & Shop to make Passover meals a reality for hundreds in our area,” Hempstead Town Councilman Anthony D’Esposito said. “Donating to the Rina Shkolnik Kosher Food Pantry goes directly to families in our communities, and we’re thankful that so many local organizations are supporting this wonderful cause during this important time of the year.”

“Passover serves as a time of reflection on the importance of community and what we can offer to our neighbors, which was the merit by which the Jewish people were redeemed from Egypt,” said Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky. “This donation embodies this selfless spirit and will provide nourishment to our neighbors in most need. I commend Stop & Shop for their tremendous donation to the Rina Shkolnik-JCC Kosher Food Pantry. It will surely benefit our neighbors and community at large on this most joyous holiday of Passover.”

Established in 2005, The Shkolnik Kosher Food Pantry is the largest Kosher Food Pantry on Long Island. It began by helping 35 families, and now works with nearly 300 families from the Five Towns and neighboring communities in Nassau and Queens. The pantry is a joint initiative of The Marion & Aaron Gural JCC and UJA-Federation of New York, and is supported by the Five Towns Community Chest, the Inwood Charities Fund, Long Island Cares, and Long Island Harvest.