Since 1983 the National Council for Jewish Women of Canada, Toronto (NCJWC-Toronto) has tried to ensure that the vulnerable in our community can celebrate Passover with a food-filled Seder. With help from social agencies, food banks, volunteers, students, and donors, their Passover Food Drive has served over 75,000 food boxes to residents in the Greater Toronto Area.
The NCJWC-Toronto is a storied organization with 128 years of service and counting. Their programs support Jewish women diagnosed with cancer, victims of human trafficking, and, as established through their food drive, food insecurity.
This year marks the first time the organization will be partnering with Reena for their Passover initiative. Robin Gofine, NCJWC-Toronto’s executive director, noted that the partnership came out of necessity because they needed more space to accommodate boxes due to high demand. Additionally, Reena’s ethos aligns with theirs.
Reena “provides housing, programs and employment services for individuals with Autism and other developmental disabilities, mental health challenges, and other diverse health needs.” They, like NCJWC-Toronto, want to “get the job done,” Gofine emphasized, “and serve the vulnerable.”
The contents of the boxes are nutritionally balanced and selected with thought and care to provide Seder essentials: matzah, matzah meal, candles, oil, jam, chicken soup mix, gefilte fish, and something sweet.
Preparations for this year’s drive began in November, and the packing of boxes lasted from March 23 until April 1. Gofine is the only member of staff. The whole drive, she shared with me over Zoom, is organized and implemented by volunteers. Volunteers supervise the shipments, pack boxes, and will be the ones delivering the boxes on April 6.
I spoke with Gofine and NCJWC-Toronto’s chair, Shelly Freedman, to listen to their remarks on community togetherness during this time of year, the power of volunteerism, and what the future of the NCJWC-Toronto holds.
How have things changed because of and since the pandemic for the food drive?
SF: Before COVID-19, on the day we would do deliveries out of our old building there would be cars lined up around the street just waiting to get boxes and a school bus full of kids who were going to help. But after COVID-19, a lot of those people are much older, and a lot of people who had been volunteering for years are now at an age where the boxes are heavy. They do weigh about 23 pounds.
RG: Last year we needed more help with deliveries, and so I approached someone with a large following on a WhatsApp group. I told him we needed help and 50 cars showed up and they finished the job.
SF: All these people were younger. They were 40 year olds and they brought their kids because they were tuned into this guy.
RG: Even though this is a legacy organization that’s been around for 128 years and the Passover food drive is 42 years old, we are evolving as an organization, and we are learning new methodologies and taking advantage of the benefits of social media. We want to encourage the young people and newcomers in our community to feel a sense of responsibility for caring for other Jewish people, which I think is always important, and it's particularly important at this time.
With the cost of food and living increasing, has the amount of boxes you deliver increased too?
SF: We were doing about 1,800 boxes before COVID-19. Last year, after the war, we got a lot of people, a lot of Israelis, on our list who’d come to avoid the war and JIAS sent them to us.
How many boxes do you estimate will be delivered this year?
RG: Around 2,300, but people always come up out of the woodwork. Normally, the bulk of the referrals come from social service agencies, but when people call us and say, I need help, we ask them to have an email sent to us by a rabbi, somebody who knows their situation, or a social service organization that they may be affiliated with.
Reena joins you as a partner this year. What are some of the ways they will be involved in the process?
RG: We encourage volunteers to write a personal note and include it in the box, so that when people receive the box, they also get a card with a note.
SF: A lot of times the kids do that, and they just sign their name in their scribble and then the recipients put them on their fridge. This year, we gave a lot of the cards to Reena people, and they’re colouring them in for us. They’re also helping us make candles. So because the holiday spans a week and there’s all the Yom Tovim, we supply them with little tea lights in a bag with a bracha to light the candles for all the nights. We have two or three student groups, a group of volunteers from the council, our L'Chaim group, and we also have Reena doing some as well. They're also going to be doing some packing and helping us with setup and other things. There's a lot of participation by Reena people, which is new for us, but we're looking forward to it.
RG: Moishe House is also a new partner this year, and they’re also going to be helping us out with the packing. They’re coming out with a large group. It really is a true community-wide endeavour.
Have there been surprising moments over the years that have demonstrated to you the impact of this initiative?
RG: Three years ago, my first year here, I got a request to deliver a box in the Jane-Finch corridor. It was in a hostel, and it was for a young woman who called us and said, My parents have kicked me out of our house, and I was found on the street, and now I'm in this hostel. I don't have any food for Passover. Can you help me? So we brought her a box of food. The girl was probably in her teens and she had no support, but somehow she was put in touch with us.
What do you envision you’ll be needing, whether it’s for the NCJWC-Toronto or just for the Passover Food Drive, in the years to come.
SF: There will always be the need for Passover food. I can’t see something like that changing. As far as what the organization needs, like any organization today, it needs new, fresh ideas and fresh blood and younger people willing to take time to do it, which I understand, in their lives and in our lives, is difficult. There’s been a bit of a resurgence of retired women, and they have fantastic experience in the workforce, but we are trying to initiate younger groups and to make them aware of us.
RG: Ensuring we pass this project to the next generation and that the next generation will take responsibility to make sure the needs of our community continue to be looked after. Ongoing financial support, because this project cannot happen without that. I’m also interested in looking at, more broadly, the issue of food insecurity for this organization and what are the opportunities beyond Passover that are effective in addressing food insecurity. What else can we do in this area to address community needs? And how can we do that, and what’s worked here that we can apply to address needs and fill gaps in community beyond Passover.
What does it mean to you to be doing work like this at the NCJWC-Toronto and to give back to the community during Passover?
SF: Different volunteers over the years have been doing this. A lot of people in council are very familiar with this project and they come back every year and help out. For me, it’s a real sense of satisfaction that all these people can share in the Seders, can all have the opportunity for the mitzvot, and that the recipients’ Passover isn't limited by their financial situation because they’ll have everything they need for a Seder.
RG: When I sit down at the Seder and I read, All who are hungry, let them come and eat. All who are in need, let them come celebrate Passover with us, I have this moment of: look what we just did. So for me, it breathes real meaning into the purpose of the holiday. And also, as the professional lead in a Jewish women’s organization, I'm in awe of the power of these women, this legacy of women from Shelly backward, who take on this responsibility with grace and passion, and don’t get ruffled. Every challenge that comes their way they get the job done. As a Jewish woman, I feel privileged as a professional to have the opportunity to support their work.
SF: This organization has been built by wonderful, intelligent, resourceful women for decades.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Since 1983 the National Council for Jewish Women of Canada, Toronto (NCJWC-Toronto) has tried to ensure that the vulnerable in our community can celebrate Passover with a food-filled Seder. With help from social agencies, food banks, volunteers, students, and donors, their Passover Food Drive has served over 75,000 food boxes to residents in the Greater Toronto Area.
The NCJWC-Toronto is a storied organization with 128 years of service and counting. Their programs support Jewish women diagnosed with cancer, victims of human trafficking, and, as established through their food drive, food insecurity.
This year marks the first time the organization will be partnering with Reena for their Passover initiative. Robin Gofine, NCJWC-Toronto’s executive director, noted that the partnership came out of necessity because they needed more space to accommodate boxes due to high demand. Additionally, Reena’s ethos aligns with theirs.
Reena “provides housing, programs and employment services for individuals with Autism and other developmental disabilities, mental health challenges, and other diverse health needs.” They, like NCJWC-Toronto, want to “get the job done,” Gofine emphasized, “and serve the vulnerable.”
The contents of the boxes are nutritionally balanced and selected with thought and care to provide Seder essentials: matzah, matzah meal, candles, oil, jam, chicken soup mix, gefilte fish, and something sweet.
Preparations for this year’s drive began in November, and the packing of boxes lasted from March 23 until April 1. Gofine is the only member of staff. The whole drive, she shared with me over Zoom, is organized and implemented by volunteers. Volunteers supervise the shipments, pack boxes, and will be the ones delivering the boxes on April 6.
I spoke with Gofine and NCJWC-Toronto’s chair, Shelly Freedman, to listen to their remarks on community togetherness during this time of year, the power of volunteerism, and what the future of the NCJWC-Toronto holds.
How have things changed because of and since the pandemic for the food drive?
SF: Before COVID-19, on the day we would do deliveries out of our old building there would be cars lined up around the street just waiting to get boxes and a school bus full of kids who were going to help. But after COVID-19, a lot of those people are much older, and a lot of people who had been volunteering for years are now at an age where the boxes are heavy. They do weigh about 23 pounds.
RG: Last year we needed more help with deliveries, and so I approached someone with a large following on a WhatsApp group. I told him we needed help and 50 cars showed up and they finished the job.
SF: All these people were younger. They were 40 year olds and they brought their kids because they were tuned into this guy.
RG: Even though this is a legacy organization that’s been around for 128 years and the Passover food drive is 42 years old, we are evolving as an organization, and we are learning new methodologies and taking advantage of the benefits of social media. We want to encourage the young people and newcomers in our community to feel a sense of responsibility for caring for other Jewish people, which I think is always important, and it's particularly important at this time.
With the cost of food and living increasing, has the amount of boxes you deliver increased too?
SF: We were doing about 1,800 boxes before COVID-19. Last year, after the war, we got a lot of people, a lot of Israelis, on our list who’d come to avoid the war and JIAS sent them to us.
How many boxes do you estimate will be delivered this year?
RG: Around 2,300, but people always come up out of the woodwork. Normally, the bulk of the referrals come from social service agencies, but when people call us and say, I need help, we ask them to have an email sent to us by a rabbi, somebody who knows their situation, or a social service organization that they may be affiliated with.
Reena joins you as a partner this year. What are some of the ways they will be involved in the process?
RG: We encourage volunteers to write a personal note and include it in the box, so that when people receive the box, they also get a card with a note.
SF: A lot of times the kids do that, and they just sign their name in their scribble and then the recipients put them on their fridge. This year, we gave a lot of the cards to Reena people, and they’re colouring them in for us. They’re also helping us make candles. So because the holiday spans a week and there’s all the Yom Tovim, we supply them with little tea lights in a bag with a bracha to light the candles for all the nights. We have two or three student groups, a group of volunteers from the council, our L'Chaim group, and we also have Reena doing some as well. They're also going to be doing some packing and helping us with setup and other things. There's a lot of participation by Reena people, which is new for us, but we're looking forward to it.
RG: Moishe House is also a new partner this year, and they’re also going to be helping us out with the packing. They’re coming out with a large group. It really is a true community-wide endeavour.
Have there been surprising moments over the years that have demonstrated to you the impact of this initiative?
RG: Three years ago, my first year here, I got a request to deliver a box in the Jane-Finch corridor. It was in a hostel, and it was for a young woman who called us and said, My parents have kicked me out of our house, and I was found on the street, and now I'm in this hostel. I don't have any food for Passover. Can you help me? So we brought her a box of food. The girl was probably in her teens and she had no support, but somehow she was put in touch with us.
What do you envision you’ll be needing, whether it’s for the NCJWC-Toronto or just for the Passover Food Drive, in the years to come.
SF: There will always be the need for Passover food. I can’t see something like that changing. As far as what the organization needs, like any organization today, it needs new, fresh ideas and fresh blood and younger people willing to take time to do it, which I understand, in their lives and in our lives, is difficult. There’s been a bit of a resurgence of retired women, and they have fantastic experience in the workforce, but we are trying to initiate younger groups and to make them aware of us.
RG: Ensuring we pass this project to the next generation and that the next generation will take responsibility to make sure the needs of our community continue to be looked after. Ongoing financial support, because this project cannot happen without that. I’m also interested in looking at, more broadly, the issue of food insecurity for this organization and what are the opportunities beyond Passover that are effective in addressing food insecurity. What else can we do in this area to address community needs? And how can we do that, and what’s worked here that we can apply to address needs and fill gaps in community beyond Passover.
What does it mean to you to be doing work like this at the NCJWC-Toronto and to give back to the community during Passover?
SF: Different volunteers over the years have been doing this. A lot of people in council are very familiar with this project and they come back every year and help out. For me, it’s a real sense of satisfaction that all these people can share in the Seders, can all have the opportunity for the mitzvot, and that the recipients’ Passover isn't limited by their financial situation because they’ll have everything they need for a Seder.
RG: When I sit down at the Seder and I read, All who are hungry, let them come and eat. All who are in need, let them come celebrate Passover with us, I have this moment of: look what we just did. So for me, it breathes real meaning into the purpose of the holiday. And also, as the professional lead in a Jewish women’s organization, I'm in awe of the power of these women, this legacy of women from Shelly backward, who take on this responsibility with grace and passion, and don’t get ruffled. Every challenge that comes their way they get the job done. As a Jewish woman, I feel privileged as a professional to have the opportunity to support their work.
SF: This organization has been built by wonderful, intelligent, resourceful women for decades.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.