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Interfaith Food Pantry
of the Oranges
We are an all-volunteer, supplemental food pantry helping to meet essential human needs
of food-insecure residents of Orange and
East
Orange, NJ with dignity and respect.
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A proud member of the MEND network of food pantries
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* Prudential Golf Outing Benefits IFPO
* Diaper Supporters Step Up
* Farmer's Market Pilot Program News
* Investors Bank supports IFPO
* Backpacks for the start of school
* Girls Helping Girls. Period. Provides Feminine Hygiene Products
* Spotlight on Supporter Clarity Refractive Services
* 750 Meals from Dun & Bradstreet
* Thank Yous, Winston School, Volunteers and Contributors
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Prudential Golf Outing Benefits IFPO
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We are overwhelmed to have been this year's beneficiary of Prudential's 28th Annual Charity Golf Outing. Held September 13th at Farmstead Golf & Country Club, the event raised significant funds for the work of the IFPO.
Our deepest appreciation to all the generous sponsors who supported our cause. We cannot say enough about the kindness of Prudential's Karen Ehrlich, our Project Linus blanket supplier and IFPO volunteer, who nominated our organization to be this year's honoree. When you see her mother, dedicated Carpenter's Club volunteer Eileen Davis, weekly in the church sanctuary, please thank her as well!
Read More
here, including a list of the incredible sponsors and event volunteers.
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Carpenter's Club volunteer Eileen Davis and Prudential's Karen Ehrlich at the Outing
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Jodi Cooperman, IFPO Treasurer, speaking on behalf of IFPO at luncheon.
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IFPO delegation joins Outing Coordinator Dianne Trinkle, Eileen Davis and Karen Ehrlich at the event.
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A Huge Thank You to our Diaper Supporters
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IFPO SUPPORTERS STEP UP TO PROVIDE DIAPERS AND AN INFUSION OF FUNDS
Our request in our Summer Newsletter for financial and other help to maintain our diaper program was taken to heart by the IFPO community. This program keeps babies clean, dry and healthy by distributing diapers, wipes and diaper cream once a month to as many as 200 babies. IFPO's costs have increased immensely in recent months as diapers have not been available through our usual source t
he Community FoodBank through the National Diaper Bank Network.
There are currently 238 babies registered in our program, and we receive more than a dozen new registrations every month.
Thank you to Susan and David Wishnow, who became our August Diaper Angels, and to Judy Colton and the Colton Family Foundation, our October and November Diaper Angel. Our September Diaper Angel is sixteen year old Jake Garfinkle who donated $1,000 he earned researching genealogy and family trees. Our gratitude also to Amna Khawala of Weichert Realty and Dana Dang of
Garden State Realty, both in Livingston, for providing additional financial support of this program in response to our request.
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A MOUNTAIN OF DIAPERS FROM OUR COMMUNITY!
Claire Gianni Sinclair, a Maplewood resident and teacher, learned about our need for diapers in conversation with Kate Cahill, head of the Our Lady of Sorrows food pantry, our MEND partner. Claire immediately stepped up by starting a diaper collection, publicizing the need in the local community with great success. On August 23, they delivered 7,000 diapers, 44 boxes of wipes and 22 diaper creams to IFPO, enough for 140 babies! We are in awe!
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Claire Gianni Sinclaire, Kate Cahill and Dina Pressel deliver the mountain of diapers from the drive.
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This is what 7,000 diapers look like!
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Six and a half year old Justin Sparaga of Short Hills asked to hold a diaper drive for our babies. With the support of his Mom, Sherri, he brought in 2,003 diapers, enough for us to supply 40 babies.
We are grateful for the historical support of IFPO's diaper program by
funds from the
Bass Foundation
and the Susan Sommer Fund for Social Justice, and for the July diaper sponsorship by Rabbi Dan Cohen of Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel. They understand that the IFPO diaper program is a tremendous help to low income families, as diapers and baby care products are not covered
under SNAP (food stamps) or WIC (supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children) assistance programs.
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If you would like to support IFPO's diaper program: Make a donation to IFPO via Jet.com's
Jet Cares "Give a Pack" program,
where we can purchase discounted diapers. Or you can make a direct donation to IFPO either online or by check (to P.O. Box 341, Short Hills, NJ 07078); please put "diaper program" in the note or memo line. We happily accept opened packs of clean diapers and training pants (great when your child or grandchild changes sizes or is potty-trained).
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A Bounty of Fresh Produce Continues
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Fabulous Farmer's Market Food Distribution Program Brings More
Produce to Our Clients
The pilot Farmer's Market program established by the Community FoodBank (CFB) continues to bring our clients pallets of produce once a month.
We are extremely grateful that the produce at our site is sponsored by our fabulous partner
Summit Medical Group Foundation,
allowing us to
provide delicious and nutritious options to people in the food insecure communities of Orange and East Orange.
NEWS FLASH - we've just been informed by CFB that this program will be continued through the winter!!
On August 30, we saw an amazing 280 clients, who received tomatoes, cabbages, eggplants, corn and peaches as we set up the Market both inside and outside the church!
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Investors Bank Hard at Work at IFPO
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Domenick A. Cama (left),
Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Investors Bank, helps distribute cabbages.
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Investors Bank provides needed volunteers to IFPO each month, usually when we are bringing in a full truck of heavy canned food from the Community FoodBank.
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In August, they helped us inside and out as escorts and shopkeepers on a regular Wednesday pantry.
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SMG Foundation and MEND provide IFPO clients with over 370 backpacks filled with school supplies!
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BACK TO SCHOOL MADE EASIER FOR CLIENTS WITH BACKPACKS AND SUPPLIES
Our amazing partner
SMG Foundation surprised clients with school-age children on Aug. 30, allowing them to choose from more than 350 backpacks filled with school supplies.
First Presbyterian Church at Caldwell's Women's Fellowship provided new backpacks to 20 additional clients through
MEND.
The start of a new school year can be an expensive and stressful time for parents, with teachers asking for grade appropriate materials for students and children longing for the new things they see on television and in stores. This generosity will allow many children and their parents to be excited about the start of a new school year without worrying about how they would fund needed purchases.
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Girls Helping Girls. Period. Provides a Year Supply of Feminine Hygiene Products to IFPO Clients
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On August 9, our remarkable partner
Girls and women around the world often miss work and school because they can't afford basic necessities like tampons and pads, items not covered under SNAP (food stamps). GHG.P.'s efforts means families are not forced to cut back on these basic health items, and not forced to choose among other critical purchases.
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Women in the US spend $75-$125 a year on feminine hygiene products. GHG.P. collects unopened boxes of products and distributes them to people in need through food pantries, schools systems and outreach programs. At IFPO, over 180 clients received a full year's supply of products, packed in a reusable backpacks. That's roughly $20,000 worth of products our clients received through GHG.P.!
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We love that our male clients bring products home to wives, sisters, and friends.
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Emma, Quinn and Elise Joy, intrepid warriors for women's hygiene!
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Volunteer Spotlight: Clarity Refractive Services
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Clarity Refractive Services has been partnering with IFPO each month since this past April, and providing some of our most needed food when they come. We love having them as shopkeepers, and are delighted they chose IFPO to give back to the community.
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Dun & Bradstreet donates meals to IFPO
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At Dun & Bradstreet's June company picnic, employees packed 10,000 meals for donation to those in need. This event was coordinated through
Generosity Feeds
, which works to feed hungry children across America so they have the opportunity to thrive. IFPO was the grateful recipient of about 750 meal packages of rice and beans which we distributed to clients as a protein choice.
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Thank You to All Our Volunteers and Helpers
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IFPO and our workers were recently recognized as part of Church of the Epiphany and Christ Church's Volunteer Appreciation Banquet. Father Harmon remarked on the size of our incredible volunteer crew, who make the work of the IFPO possible. Volunteers, like water, are essential, and so we received a symbolic "Thank You" bottle of water. The closing remarks were so reflective of how our clients see our volunteers: "to the world you may be only one person, but to one person you may be the world."
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IFPO Volunteer Charlotte Bailey-Schwartz, daughter of Nancy Schwartz and Sean Bailey, reflects that spirit. When she became a Bat Mitzvah this past spring, she asked if she could donate a portion of her gifts to IFPO. Charlotte's generosity is a wonderful reminder of the impact that seeing the work of the IFPO first hand can have on our children, and how that impression can impact the world.
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Winston 8th Grade Comes to IFPO
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A NEW YEAR OF SERVICE, AND APPLES
We always look forward to our first pantry day of September, when the new Winston eighth grade begins their monthly service at IFPO. This year's class came in May to learn about how Pantry works, and so they were ready to fly as escorts when they arrived. The bags of apples they brought were a great addition to our fresh produce options that day.
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Volunteer Groups Bring Smiles
and Helping Hands
in August
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Newcomers and Neighbors of Millburn and Short Hills
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JTeens Mitzvot of Metrowest
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Au Pair Care - The Power of International Exchange
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In recognition of J Day, Au Pair Care Area Director Andrea Osmun and her two au pair assistants, Victoria Camps and Ana Maria Carreno, distributed snack bags made by au pairs.
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We were so glad to have their assistance, since they truly enabled us to "Think global, while acting local". It was great to have these international volunteers helping and using their language skills to speak with many of our clients.
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Special Items can Make a Client's Day
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We can sometimes provide special items to our clients that aren't part of our usual purchases of food. These items are either totally free to us (CFB delivered 48 ounce containers of fruit punch which were a great end of summer treat for kids) or available from CFB for a minimal handling charge (olive oil was a recent hit).
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Bonus: A few great IFPO Pictures
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Our intrepid diaper team: Margorie Leit, Karyn Leit, Karen Capelli.
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Now that school has started, we already miss our teen volunteers!
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| Greeter Steven Rod with a young friend.
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Kristin Sterling distributes pads to a client from the NCJW Period Project. We were the grateful recipient of 4 months of products from this pilot program.
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