The Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry (HKJFP), a program of Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JF&CS), is offering evening appointments to Jewish individuals and families experiencing food insecurity and hunger. The food pantry has been serving the local community for 28 years, providing nutritious food to over 6,000 pantry guests each month, including both Jewish and non-Jewish visitors. However, a study conducted by the Jewish Federation of St. Louis shows that there are far more Jewish people in need than the pantry is currently assisting.
“There are a variety of reasons why people choose not to visit a food pantry,” remarked Judy Berkowitz, Director of the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry. “For some, the hours are not convenient. For others, visiting the Jewish pantry staffed by Jewish volunteers raises issues of privacy, due to the small size of our Jewish community where everyone seems to know everyone else. By offering evening appointments to Jewish households and staffing the program with non-Jewish volunteers, we expect to attract people who otherwise have not been able or willing to use the pantry during daytime hours.”
The new hours and staffing are part of Jewish Family & Children’s Service’s Jewish Outreach Program. This program is made possible by funding from the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. The Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry is a welcoming place for all members of the Jewish community who are in need. They hope that by being more accessible and offering an additional layer of privacy they will attract new families to come to the HKJFP.
To find out more about evening hours for Jewish households or to schedule an appointment, individuals may reach out to the pantry confidentially at pantryoutreach@jfcs-stl.org or (314) 513-1687. A staff member will respond within one business day.