Kosher Food Pantry Joins Advisory Committee, Shares Common Goals Cleveland Kosher Food Pantry has been invited to participate in the Greater Cleveland Food Bank’s Agency Services Advisory Committee. The board is attended by representatives from several of the 750+ Greater Cleveland Food Bank’s partner agencies and meets monthly to discuss new ideas and initiatives to support the Food Banks’ mission. “The Kosher Food Pantry is one of the largest pantry programs in our six-county service territory,” says Jessica Morgan, Agency services director for the GCFB “The KFP delivers packages of food weekly to many people and is interested in expanding its service to more home-bound seniors. Having representation from this agency on our Agency Advisory Committee will add to the already dynamic group of agencies that meet regularly to provide valuable feedback.” Rivka Goldstein, Kosher Food Pantry project manager and Beachwood resident, will represent the Kosher Food Pantry on this committee. Goldstein joined KFP in July as the kosher agency’s delivery numbers swelled past 4,000 individuals per month with 27 separate distributions. With the year-overyear increase in requests from Jewish families who have called upon Kosher Food Pantry for help, a full-time manager with scheduling expertise was clearly needed. She holds an MBA in healthcare with several project management certifications and has years of Jewish non-profit and operations management experience. A current initiative of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank is working to identify shut-in seniors and provide them with food, nutritional counseling, and wrap-around services. “Seniors make up 30% of people to whom we deliver healthy fruits, vegetables and other food staples weekly,” says Devorah Alevsky, KFP director. “We are leaders in reaching this population, and look forward to the exchange of ideas with the Greater Cleveland Food bank to improve and increase our reach.” With this common goal in mind, last month the Kosher Food Pantry partnered with the Cleveland Food Bank to provide cooking demonstrations and nutritional counseling for seniors in three senior-living communities in University Heights, South Euclid and Mayfield Heights. Ariana Fiorita Cucuzza, RDN, LD, Greater Cleveland Food Bank nutrition manager, led the nutritional counseling and cooking demos. The Kosher Food Pantry organized the events and provided a translator and translated recipe cards for Russian participants. “Seniors learned the nutritional value of cooking with sweet potatoes, whole grain pasta, olive oil and other fresh vegetables,” says Goldstein. “By practicing healthy eating, our seniors will be able to live longer and have a better quality of life.” The Kosher Food Pantry is grateful for a grant from the Louis, Celia and Joseph L. Abrams Memorial Fund of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland to help support this program for seniors. Kosher Food Pantry is gearing up for the Passover holiday and is looking for community support.The Pantry will deliver matzah, grape juice and specialty Passover foods, besides all the regular holiday staples and produce, to the needy right here in our community. If you would like to volunteer or donate, please call 216.382.7202 or visit kosherfb. org. Pictured from top: Rivka Goldstein, Kosher Food Pantry project manager, and Ariana Fiorita Cuzuzza, Greater Cleveland Food Bank nutrition manager. Kosher Food Pantry is gearing up for the Passover holiday and is looking for community support. Women of Fairmount Temple Programs Lunch/Speaker Tuesday, April 19 Lunch at noon • Speaker at 1 pm Rabbi Robert Nosanchuk’s presentation, titled “Jews of the Torah,” will be preceded by lunch at noon. Cost is $8 for members and $10 for guests. To reserve a space at lunch, call 440.461.7921 on Monday and leave a message or call 216.464.1330 on Tuesday, from 9:30 to 10:30 am. Mitzvah Morning Sunday, April 24 You are invited to join this growing group of workers and have a wonderful time while knitting lap robes, pasting figures in books for children at the Cleveland Sight Center, and assembling kits that make up vests for epileptic children. Coffee and pastry will be served. Event takes place in the Commons. Broadway News Comes to Fairmount Temple Sunday, May 1 • 7 pm Fairmount Temple will host a special evening with Gina Vernaci, executive producer of Playhouse Square, who will share exciting details about the next Keybank Broadway Series, 2016-2017. In her program, There’s Nothing Like a Dame – Broadway in Cleveland, Vernaci will share highlight reels for the next KeyBank Broadway Season as well as give updates on what is happening at Playhouse Square. In addition, everyone who attends this fun and informative evening will be entered in a raffle for a pair of tickets to Kinky Boots and a pair to Steel Magnolias. RSVPS requested by April 21 to qualify for raffle to RSVP@fairmounttemple.org. This evening is sponsored by the Women of Fairmount Temple and the Men of Fairmount Temple. Lunch/Speaker Tuesday, May 3 Lunch at noon • Speaker at 1 pm Lissa Heller's presentation, "How I Survived the Holocaust,” will be preceded by lunch at noon. Cost is $8 for members and $10 for guests. To reserve a space at lunch, call 440.461.7921 on Monday and leave a message or call 216.464.1330 on Tuesday, from 9:30 to 10:30 am. Lunch/Speaker Tuesday, May 10 Lunch at noon • Speaker at 1 pm Lunch and a FASHION SHOW! The manager of Talbot's will present fashion trends, and live models will demonstrate how glamorous we can be. Cost is $8 for members and $10 for guests. To reserve a space at lunch, call 440.461.7921 on Monday and leave a message or call 216.464.1330 on Tuesday, from 9:30 to 10:30 am. In her program, There’s Nothing Like a Dame – Broadway in Cleveland, Vernaci will share highlight reels for the next KeyBank Broadway Season. 52 Beachwood Buzz n April 2016