Food Pantry

Beth El has a long history of involvement with and support for the Anja Rosenberg Kosher Food Pantry at Jewish Family Services. You’ll find a bin for food donations at the front entry door and a list of desired items at the end of this page. Hunger is, sadly, ever-present in our communities, including West Hartford and Farmington Valley; the extra can or box of food you buy when you shop will find a welcome home.

Special Food Drive Initiatives

There are many different ways you can help.

A special food drive is held each year during the High Holiday season. Beth El members are encouraged to bring bags of food to the synagogue prior to Yom Kippur. As we fast, we think of those in our community for whom hunger is a part of everyday life.

This year, for our 5782 Kol Nidrei Food Drive we are especially looking for:

Food

• Canned vegetables; canned fruit in juice or light syrup
• Cereal, crackers, cookies, snack bars, granola, breakfast bars
• Pasta, rice, couscous mixes, marinara sauce, macaroni & cheese
• Peanut butter, jams, preserves
• Tuna fish in water, tinned sardines, canned salmon
• Canned soups, salad dressings, mayonnaise & other condiments, cooking oil (small containers, no bulk)

Cleaning/Household Supplies

• Glass cleaner, all-purpose cleaner (Fantastic, 409 etc.) toilet bowl cleaner, bathroom cleaner
• Toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent
• Scrubbing powder, sponges, Brillo, SOS pads

Sorting Food Drive Donations
Sunday, September 19, 2021, 9:15 – 11:30am

Many hands are needed to sort all the bags of donated items before they are delivered to the Food Pantry. Contact Sharon Levine-Shein (ms.lib@comcast.net) to help! Volunteers, including learners from our religious educational program and Solomon Schechter Day School, help sort and transport the food on the Sunday morning after Yom Kippur. Please come and join our sorting team!

Every year the religious educational program sponsors a cereal drive. Learners bring one or more boxes of cereal when they come to temple. Congregants are invited to participate as well. Watch Temple Topics and the Shabbat Leaflet for an announcement of this drive and bring your cereal boxes to the educational program. 
 
The Beth El Women's Network created a program for Bat/Bar Mitzvah families to further support the pantry. For $150, Women's Network will decorate food baskets in place of traditional flower arrangements. This is a wonderful mitzvah, for you are feeding the hungry, decorating the Bimah, and sending a powerful message all at the same time! Many families also create food baskets as their table centerpieces at their Simchas and then donate the baskets to the food pantry.
 
Children are so mindful of hunger in our communities that many request cans of food in lieu of gifts for their birthday parties. As part of the birthday celebration, the children can go to the Pantry or come to Beth El and deliver the food. It’s so heartwarming, and lessons are learned which last a lifetime!
 
All these Beth El mitzvot are truly helping our neighbors. Let’s try to end hunger right in our own backyard! Now that you know what Beth El is doing for the Food Pantry, you should know why we are doing it.
 
The Kosher Food Pantry was founded in 2002 when it became apparent there was a need in the community for people who keep kosher to have a place to get food assistance. Over the years, the Food Pantry has extended its reach and now serves people regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender or sexual orientation. 
 
The Kosher Food Pantry distributes thousands of dollars of food each month. Supermarket gift cards, cash and checks in all denominations are gratefully accepted. 100% of your donations are used directly for the pantry items purchased.
 
Below is a list of foods, cleaning & household products & toiletries that are needed. All food has to be unopened & KOSHER. A large box is located at the entrance of Beth El for the collection of these items. About ¾ of all prepackaged food products are kosher. Look for the hechsher symbol. Some of the popular ones are shown below: