Teaneck Restaurants Holding Food Drive for Local Pantry
Last year's effort collected hundreds of items for Teaneck's food pantry
The following letter was submitted by Elie Y. Katz:
Corned beef and pastrami will be challenging General Tso to the annual pre-Passover food challenge between Noah's Ark and Chopstix which collects donations for Teaneck's Helping Hands Food Pantry.
"Each year customers of Noah's Ark and Chopstix vie for the biggest donations to help their neighbors, while proving their loyalty to their favorite kosher food source" said Noam Sokolow, owner of Noah's Ark Deli & Shelly's Dairy Restaurant. "Last year's challenge realized over 500 bags of cereal, pancake mix, flour, tuna, ketchup, diapers and toiletries for the Food Pantry, just as supplies were low and they were most in need" stated Elie Y. Katz of Chopstix. It was a win/win situation for everyone: the Jewish community cleaned their pantries and the Food Pantry benefited!
The challenge began when several Passover preparing customers approached Chopstix with food they were literally throwing out. The Teaneck Helping Hands Food Pantry at 195 West Englewood Avenue, Teaneck which serves hundreds of families in need was the logical and neighborly site this year. The need is always great but recent years has seen a marked increase in demand and a sharp decrease in donations. Winters in general and this bitter snowy winter in particular make the situation acute, particularly as the prices of basic foods have risen as clients and those in need find it harder to get out. The original drive resulted in vans of food being donated and each year since the donations have only increased.
This year's contest runs from March 1, 2013 through March 22, 2012. Donations of unopened, non-refrigerated food, and toiletries will be accepted (and appreciated) at the following locations: Chopstix 172 West Englewood Avenue, Noah's Ark 493 Cedar Lane and Shelly's Dairy Restaurant 482 Cedar Lane-all in Teaneck.
This is a contest where everyone wins! The Teaneck Helping Hands Food Pantry receives desperately needed food, the customers clear their pantries and help others at the same time and the business owners get bragging rights about their patrons.
Thank you,
Elie Y. Katz and Noam Sokolow
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In This article
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Noah's Ark Kosher Deli & Restaurant
493 Cedar Ln, Teaneck, NJ -
Chopstix Glatt Kosher Chinese
172 W Englewood Ave, Teaneck, NJ
Art Vatsky
11:08 pm on Sunday, March 3, 2013
Elie, we know each other nearly 20 years. You do many good things when you are not serving on Council. I trust that Helping Hands does its share of good but by calling attention to yourself and your business you turn this effort into a publicity stunt. How do you know the "500 bags" Helping Hands collects this way isn't offset by 500 fewer bags that would normally be collected at Family Promise, Ethical Culture and all the synagogues, temples, churches and mosques that collect and distribute food weekly?
Jason Flynn
11:44 am on Monday, March 4, 2013
I find the comments posted here distasteful. We all have our political beliefs, religious beliefs, dislikes and likes among actions of people on town council and other forums in town. However, when a food drive is in place, isn't the idea to get the word out for max donations? Thanks to places like the Patch, Noah and Elie can maximize the amount of food donated. Could some of the participants have donated the food elsewhere? Perhaps, but the point is it is just another program to ensure those less fortunate than you and I have some staples in their pantry. If some of the people stopping by pick-up take out from the hosts of the food drive, great - good for them. Art, why don't you look at it the other way around? These people were heading out for Pastrami on Club anyway, at least they did something productive and donated 2 bags of groceries on their night out on the town.
Our town has a habit of people acting in a very divisive and antagonistic manner. At times, that must be set aside [preferably most of the time] to work for a common goal. Art ... your comment could have been "For those that do NO eat at Noah's Ark and Chop Stix, here are two other venues that collect food for the less fortunate in our area.
Tee Smyth
1:29 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
My other comment to Mr. Rothstein was deleted. I agree that his comment was distasteful.
However, the divisiveness began in the original letter:
"It was a win/win situation for everyone: the Jewish community cleaned their pantries and the Food Pantry benefited!"
He mentions that it's a win-win for everyone. But, it's really not. The verbiage that you suggested that Art include in his comment should have been included in Mr. Katz's (the elected public official) letter: "For those that do NO eat at Noah's Ark and Chop Stix, here are two other venues that collect food for the less fortunate in our area."
Before the usual suspects come in here: I do not begrudge fundraising efforts. Nope, not at all. However......long sigh. JMHO.
Art Vatsky
6:57 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
Jason: I figured some would disagree with my statement. Elie is entitled to do what he does. I am entitled to call him on it. This was not a Patch article by a reporter. Elie submitted it. Seems a bit gimmicky to me. How many houses of worship do we have in Teaneck 50? 60? There is the Armory too? It seems to me the idea is to increase the amount of food donated, not to move it around based on a faux food contest.