Jewish Family Service of the Lehigh Valley-Kosher Food Pantry

Kosher Food Pantry Nourishes Body and Spirit

Mr. B's eyes light up when he remembers the day his niece from Chicago came to visit him. Widowed, living alone, and unable to get out much, the 83-year-old man looked forward to some company, if only for a short time. As it turned out, the visit resulted in much more than a brief respite from loneliness.

Mr. B. recalls how it all started: "I asked my niece to get some juice for herself from the refrigerator."

Barry Siegel Kosher Food Kitchen The niece became very concerned when she opened the refrigerator and saw that it was almost empty.

Once, Mr. B. had owned a small business, which enabled him to put aside some savings. Heart problems forced him to sell his business, and medical bills quickly depleted his nest egg. Often his Social Security check failed to stretch until the beginning of each month, and Mr. B. suffered from hunger.

The day of her visit, Mr. B.'s niece went out to buy Mr. B. some groceries, but worry nagged at her: How would her uncle. manage after she returned home? That's when she thought of Jewish Family Service. Knowing that JFSs exist all over the country, she consulted the phone book and made an important call.

"My niece called JFS-LV," says Mr. B.

Soon JFS-LV Clinical Casework Supervisor Barry Siegel was visiting Mr. B., grocery bags in tow.

While food from JFS-LV's Kosher Food Pantry frequently tides Mr. B. over, Barry's visits also provide a much-needed connection to the world outside Mr. B.'s apartment.

"Barry comes in, sits down and talks to me," Mr. B. says. "He is wonderful, terrific. He knows just what I need."

One of those needs is for kosher food.

"I was brought up in a kosher home and have kept kosher all my life," Mr. B says.

Now, three years after his niece's visit, JFS-LV continues to help Mr. B. and other people in our community. One of these people is Mrs. R.

Mrs. R. came to the agency one late afternoon. Her husband, a laborer, was in the hospital recovering from emergency surgery. Her children were ages 1, 3 and 6. With no extended family nearby to help with child care, Mrs. R. was unable to look for a job. With no milk or food left, she turned to JFS-LV for help.

As with all who seek help from the food pantry, Mrs. R. was interviewed by a JFS-LV staff member to determine all the ways the agency could help her. She left the agency with emergency food, information about additional community resources and assurances that she could come back if she needed to.

Although Mrs. R. did not return to JFS-LV, we were glad we were able to help her at a critical time.

Facts about the JFS-LV Kosher Food Pantry:

On average, the food pantry provides 240 emergency meals per month.
The pantry serves people of all religions.
The pantry is stocked by donations from community members and by Second Harvest Food Bank.
Synagogues in our community have provided valuable assistance: Congregation Brith Sholom by collecting food and putting some aside for the pantry, Congregation Sons of Israel members by donating supermarket coupons, and Congregation Beth El by assembling and donating baskets of Passover food.

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