"We are so grateful for our community partners and volunteers who helped us unpack the truck. Because of their efforts, our food pantry clients and others who are food insecure in the area will have what they need." – Miriam Brander, chief operating officer, Jewish Family Services of Greater Hartford.

Tzedakah, or helping those less fortunate, is one of our Federation’s core values – and few organizations embody this value more than Jewish Family Services of Greater Hartford, one of our major local partners. Back in July, JFS welcomed 40 volunteers who generously helped “Unpack the Truck” in support of the Anja Rosenberg Kosher Food Pantry. Below, JFS Director of Marketing Steph MacGillivary recounts the group’s accomplishments.

With the help of more than three dozen volunteers on a hot July day, together in the JFS parking lot we packed an impressive 600 boxes with 9,000 pounds of food to distribute to food pantry clients! This food came to us on behalf of a federal program and thanks to a partnership between the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, the Salvation Army Southern New England Division, Connecticut National Guard, Connecticut Department of Social Services, and FEMA.

We would like to extend a special thank-you to Michael Bloom, executive director of the Jewish Federation Association of Connecticut (JFACT), who was instrumental in securing the truck full of pallets of nonperishable food. In addition, we’re grateful to Wendy Amblo, Pia Rosenberg Toro, and Lisa Berman – who thoughtfully ensured that we unpacked the truck in a productive, fun, and community-building manner. And of course, thank you to the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford and the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford for their ongoing support of the Anja Rosenberg Kosher Food Pantry. Last but not least, thank you to all the Anja Rosenberg Kosher Food Pantry volunteers and supporters for your generosity. We couldn’t have accomplished this without all of you!

To learn more about JFS’ vital work, click here or visit their Facebook page here.

Above (from left): JFS Community Programs Manager Cody Daigle-Orians, Chief Operating Officer Miriam Brander, volunteer Wendy Amblo, and Chief Executive Officer Katie Hanley; Federation President and CEO David Waren; JFS Board President Lisa Berman, Chairwoman of the Board Pia Rosenberg Toro, and volunteer Bernie Selig. Image courtesy of JFS.