The Act of Giving

I know I am not the only one out there that receives phone calls, emails, and snail mail about giving to this charity and giving to that charity. Sometimes it is so cumbersome we want to hide. I know I feel guilty when there is a man standing outside of the market from the Salvation Army and I literally just gave an extra $1 to St. Jude’s or American Cancer Society during checkout one second ago. The harsh reality is the older we get the more likely it is that particular charities will resonate with us.

 

When my 9-year-old was around two my mother-in-law started a project with him called “the tzedakkah fund”. Each month all of us pick a charity, donate and include a letter that he signs. The fund has grown to include my younger son and my new almost 2 month old nephew. I honestly believe there is no better lesson than to teach your children about the act of giving and helping people in time of need. Even if it a check for $5 or helping out in a soup kitchen for the hungry. I know the younger one doesn’t fully understand all the charities we give to but the message of giving, I am hoping, is sticking in the tiny head and heart of his.  This month we picked a charity I wanted to write about. There are so many that hit close to home but this one is special to me because it is in my backyard and I never even knew it existed.

If you haven’t heard of Table to Table yet, you should. The beauty of this charity is it picks up fresh, excess and leftover food that would otherwise be thrown out. Every day 5 trucks rescue nutritious wholesome food from over 150 food donors (restaurants, supermarkets, hospitals, corporate cafeterias and caterers). They deliver the food to places in Bergen, Hudson, Passaic and Essex counties that serve the hungry. They are Northeast New Jersey’s first and only food rescue program. For example , if Kings makes 100 turkey and cheese sandwiches and they sell 40, they would have a hard time selling the day old sandwich to us. However, what makes Table to Table unique is that they will come to Kings, pick up the 60 pre-made sandwiches and deliver them to soup kitchens, safe houses with woman and children, drug rehab centers, homeless shelters, HIV day centers and elder care programs at no cost. Unlike other hunger relief agencies, Table to Table does not charge the recipient agencies for any of the food they deliver. Plus all the food they deliver is FRESH and perishable not canned.

When I called to talk to them about their program they passed on some very eye-opening info. Can you believe in Northeast NJ one in 5 children do not have enough to eat? Meaning 20% of children do not know where their next meal is coming from. Essex County’s children have one of the highest food insecurity rates in the country. It is beyond sad and heart breaking to think we live in a place with so much wealth and there may be a starving child who lives 10 minutes away. It sickens me to think of the parents who have to decide if they should turn on the heat or buy food. Children from food-insecure families are 90% more likely to be in poor health with a 30% higher hospitalization rate.

I picked this charity for several reasons. Not only is it the most cost-effective hunger relief program in New Jersey and one of the most efficient not-for-profits in the entire country, I thought by choosing a charity that delivered healthy, nutritious food to kids my children may interact with in some capacity (school,sports, etc) it would hit a nerve. In this season of giving, it is imperative my kids understand what it means to help a person in need.  It is a hard lesson to teach your child who is playing XBOX and playing on his IPAD that there are kids their own age who may not eat dinner tonight. After explaining that $10 will feed 100 hungry people, my kids each gave me $5 of their own money and asked me if the hungry kids will get presents this year. When I had to explain that food may be their present, they looked at me with lost eyes and my heart broke. I told them they should feel good because they just sent them the best holiday gift this year, a warm meal with their family.

If you want more information about this charity, click here. You are also welcome to call or email Michelle Weinraub if you  want to learn more about how you or your companies can get involved:  [email protected] or 201.923.6638

In full disclosure Table to Table did not pay me to write about them. With all my silly and frivolous posts, there is also a person who believes life is about giving and not always receiving.