Together, We Feed Our Neighbors

This year’s Community-Wide Food Sort was a true celebration of Tikkun Olam—repairing the world. Together, 215 volunteers donated, sorted, and boxed 1,200 bags of food and toiletries for the Polack Food Bank. We also received 111 bags of food from our Amazon Wishlist for a total of 1,311 bags of food.

As the cost of food and gas continues to rise, more families in our community are struggling to put meals on the table. That’s why we’re deeply grateful to everyone who donated to our Community-Wide Food Drive and volunteered at our Food Sort this weekend. The need at the Polack Food Bank has reached an all-time high, so the support from our community is more crucial than ever. Together, we are working to ensure our neighbors don’t go hungry.

If you weren’t able to donate in time for the Food Sort, please check out our Amazon Wish List. We welcome your continued donations to support our food bank.

In addition to everyone who donated and volunteered, we extend a special thank you to the ACME Food Sales Team for your generous donations, the fantastic location for the event, and critical storage space for the Polack Food Bank throughout the year.

The joy at the Food Sort matched the seriousness of its purpose. Our tradition makes it clear: feeding the hungry is among the most sacred responsibilities we have. “When you are asked in the world to come, ‘What was your work?’ and you answer: ‘I fed the hungry,’ you will be told: ‘This is the gate of the Lord, enter into it, you who have fed the hungry.’” (Midrash to Psalm 118:17).

That call feels especially urgent today. Food insecurity in our region has reached crisis levels:

• In June, we served 337 people in one day — the number of people we used to serve in an entire week.
• Polack Food Bank has seen a 60% increase in visits in the last year, compared to the previous year.
• Food donations from partners are down 75% from last year.
• Most of the nearly 5,000 clients JFS serves rely on SNAP food assistance. 75,000 households across the state saw reductions in their monthly SNAP benefits in the past year.

Our neighbors are doing everything they can to get by, but skyrocketing grocery costs and shrinking safety nets are forcing impossible choices—between rent and meals, medication and food. They turn to JFS knowing they will be welcomed with dignity and compassion. Your support makes this possible.

The Food Sort showed us what we can accomplish when we act together. Let’s carry that same spirit forward. Together, we can ease hunger, uplift families, and ensure no one in our community is left behind. Thank you for being part of this remarkable day—and for standing with JFS in this critical moment.