Supermarket Sweep to help the hungry

Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ’s Supermarket Sweep Foodraiser — a day-long family volunteer activity to benefit food insecure families — will be held on Thursday, July 14, at ShopRite in Clark. All food collected will go to the food pantry at Jewish Family Service of Central NJ in Elizabeth. 

Supermarket Sweep includes a morning shopping session and an evening family shopping session at ShopRite and an afternoon sorting and unpacking session at JFS; participants will receive a list of most-needed items and there will be a scavenger hunt for kids. This year’s program is being hosted in partnership with JCC of Central NJ’s Camp Yachad in Scotch Plains. 

Hunger is a huge challenge facing New Jersey. JFS’s food pantry distributes 136 boxes of food monthly and an additional 55 emergency bags each month to people needing immediate assistance. Fifteen families remain on the wait list.

JFS Central is one of the federation’s six agencies working to help the hungry in the local community. In addition to the support it receives from federation, the food pantry relies on government funds, donations from grocery stores, and private donations, such as the items collected during Supermarket Sweep.

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“Many people in our Jewish community want to help, but don’t know how,” said Supermarket Sweep cochair Elyse Deutsch of Scotch Plains. “Federation’s Center for Volunteerism exists to connect those who want to donate their time with the agencies that need them.” Cochair Janice Weinberg, also of Scotch Plains, added, “Supermarket Sweep is a wonderful opportunity for the entire family to get involved and have a direct impact on those in need in our community.”

To volunteer, contact Lindsay Napchen at 973-929-2948 or lnapchen@jfedgmw.org or visit jfedgmw.org/sweep.