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 and a proud partner with the
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The IFPO is one of nine pantries that will participate in phase 2 of a collaborative program co-sponsored by our partners
Summit MedicalGroup Foundation
and the
Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFB)
entitled
"F
ood, Health and Hope: An Answer to Diabetes" (FHH). Free medical screenings were offered in May and June to food pantry clients to detect pre-diabetes, diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure) and obesity. Qualified clients who enroll in the FHH program will receive
nutrition counseling, medical education, and specified medical re-screenings every three months over the next year.
They will learn how to make healthy lifestyle choices, about appropriate portion control, how to shop for healthier foods, and how to make diabetes-friendly recipes at home.
In addition to their regular IFPO food allotment, FHH clients will receive
special food boxes twice a month containing fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and other nutritious food appropriate for people with diabetes, including
canned items that are low in sugar and salt.
As of the date of publication of this newsletter, 44 IFPO clients have been offered the opportunity to enroll in phase 2 of the FHH program, which will begin on July 10. Ten additional IFPO clients from phase 1 have been offered the opportunity to continue in phase 2
to reinforce the concepts they learned and continue on their journey to better health.
. Two sections of the FHH program will run concurrently at the IFPO over the next year.
IFPO
clients
enrolled in phase 1 were
extremely positive about the program;
many made significant changes in their lifestyles with resultant improvements in their health. A small number of clients from phase 1 have been invited to continue the program in phase 2. On Saturday May 18, the IFPO, Summit Medical Group Foundation and the six other agency partners who piloted this important program received the Hope Award from the Community FoodBank at their annual
Blue Jean Ball
.
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IFPO client being screened by
Anna M. Trautwein, RNC
Clinical Director of Programs and Community Wellness for Summit Medical Group Foundation.
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Clients in Phase 1 of the Diabetes Initiative learned about the importance of exercise in managing their health. We've been doing yoga outside on line with clients recently, reinforcing this idea.
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Clients had the opportunity to ask Summit Medical Group Foundation volunteers health questions during their screenings.
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IFPO Board Member Peggy Baggaley, pantry coordinator for Christ Church of Short Hills, accepts the Hope Award on behalf of the IFPO at the Blue Jean Ball. This year's event focused on hunger as a health issue, and highlighted the importance of fresh produce and nutrition education in the CFB's work.
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IFPO Board members at the Ball: Rita Pignatelli, Jodi Cooperman, Sandy French, Diane Stein, Peggy Baggaley and Kristin Sterling.
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Healthy Pantry Initiative
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The IFPO partners with the Community FoodBank to make healthy choices our clients easy choices
As part of its Healthy Pantry Initiative (HPI), the Community FoodBank (CFB) will assist the IFPO in selecting healthy foods to offer clients and in ensuring that product donations to the IFPO support HPI strategies. CFB support will include items like nutrition posters, signs for use at our client choice stations and healthy recipes to assist clients in creating meals for their families.
The IFPO already works hard to provide healthy choices for clients. We choose whole grain products wherever possible when purchasing items like pasta and rice.
Our "pantry needs" list is geared to healthy choices, including products that are no or low sugar, fruit packed in water instead of syrup and low sodium products. We work very hard to offer a wide variety of fresh produce each week in lieu of only canned vegetables. Produce is currently provided once a month at the
Healthy Family Farmers Market
sponsored by CFB. We ensure on other pantry days that we have produce, including SFPP produce we obtain by going to the CFB warehouse in Hillside, greens we purchase from Aerofarms monthly that are brought to us by Maplecrest Moves Charities, carrots and onions donated once a month by Arturo's, and bananas we purchase once a month. We also purchase eggs each month as a healthy protein option.
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Summer Hunger Busters Distributions
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Hunger Busters provides extra food to support children over the summer
Recognizing that the children of many clients will not be getting breakfast and lunch in school during the summer, the IFPO will provide supplemental Hunger Busters bags to families with school-age children several times over the summer. Our first distribution on June 26 included hearty beef stew and chili, canned peaches and fruit cocktail, nuts, and apples, cheese, whole wheat tortillas and baby carrots. We thank
MEND
for providing some of the funding for this program.
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Feminine Hygiene Program Continues at IFPO
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The IFPO offers clients feminine hygiene products each month, ensuring that no one has to go without these basic necessities. Thanks to the local chapter of
P.E.O. International
a philanthropic organization where women celebrate and support women, which again donated products to the IFPO that will benefit approximately 100 women.
I
n addition, P.O.E. contributed incontinence products (diapers & pads) and diapers for six babies.
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We are also grateful to
Girls Helping Girls. Period
for their recent donation of
60 boxes of tampons. In a partnership with the IFPO,
GHGP provides financial support that offers IFPO clients feminine hygiene products on a monthly basis.
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We are delighted that our Teen Board continues to bring youth and spirit to helping our neighbors. Please join us in welcoming Eric Jones and Sari Rosenberg, both from our partner
Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel
, as co-presidents, Ethan Sterling from our partner
Congregation B'nai Jeshurun
as VP of Communication, and Emma Burd, as VP of Recruitment. We are looking forward to having our Teen Board members volunteer at the IFPO on August 28. If you have a teen who may be interested in joining the group for the 2019-2020 year, have them reach out to
edjones113@gmail.com.
Last summer's Teen Board pantry volunteers
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Summer Help Needed at the IFPO
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Hunger doesn't take a vacation. With our "regulars" often out of town in July and August, we truly need you to volunteer your time and talents any Wednesday (except for the first Wednesday of the month) for any time you are free between 8:15 and 12:00. We also need help on two summer Tuesdays - July 16 and August 20 - from 1:30 - 3:30, when we strong help to bring in our monthly truckload of goods. Help is also needed on those Tuesdays to sort products and to pack diapers.
Please
remember to bring water for your personal consumption when you volunteer at pantry. For safety's sake, please wear sneakers or other closed-toed shoes; no sandals allowed. We request that child volunteers be at least 10 years old with parental supervision; drop off is not allowed.
And if you volunteer on July 10 - you can also Test Drive a Lincoln to raise funds for the IFPO.
Details here:
https://conta.cc/2Nz5Vyj
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Pantry 4 gets a fabulous refresh
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John Scott in a white and bright P4 before the shelving was installed.
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We are very grateful to John Scott and Carole Manning of the Carpenter's Club, who did an amazing refresh of Pantry 4 for us recently. Their hard work included scraping down P4's walls and ceiling, removing old wooden shelving, painting the entire space and installing a new vinyl floor. Carpenter's Club volunteers Joe Schachtele and Kathryn Cassidy assembled the new shelving to complete the room.
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Thanks to Scott Burghart, Territory Manager of
InterMetro Industries,
for working with us to ensure we could outfit the room at an affordable cost. Scott also helped us with our 2013 refit of shelving for P1 and P2. We anticipate utilizing this renovated room for the storage of SFPP goods, USDA products come August (stay tuned for information about IFPO's participation in the USDA program in the next newsletter), as well as other storage as needed.
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Gratitude for So Many Who Have Helped Recently with Food and Other Donations
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We are always delighted to supplement our stocks with donated non-perishable food that is unopened and unexpired, toiletries and diapers. For a list of most needed items, go to
https://www.orangesfoodpantry.org/pantry-needs
(we ask that you focus on whole grain, low sodium and low sugar products when you donate).
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Thank you to
Deborah Trama of
Village Babies Development Center
in South Orange. Their diaper drive provided a carload of diapers and pullups, which we distributed to 50 IFPO babies. We are so grateful for their support in keeping babies clean, dry & healthy.
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Thanks to the Religious School students of our partner
Temple Sharey Tefilo Israel
for the donation of 150 toiletry bags packed on their last day of classes.
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A large diaper donation by someone who wishes to remain anonymous helped us provide 13,000 diapers to 260 babies in May, and X diapers to Y in June.
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We love getting calls telling us that someone asked birthday party guests to please bring diapers for us. Thanks Jessica Satlow!
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The IFPO was the recipient of a portion of the proceeds of the recent production of "Listen to Your Mother". We are grateful to the Board, all the sponsors and supporters.
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Fourth graders from
Girl Scout Troop 40719 in Union, NJ made birthday bags with cake mixes, frosting, cake pans and more which we distributed to clients with children.
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Alexa Schonbraun has already collected and donated 5,000 diapers and wipes for her mitzvah project in conjunction with her September bas mitzvah at our partner
Congregation B’nai Jeshurun.
Alexa, her family and friends joined us twice during pantry hours to help with diaper distribution.
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We post tons of pictures and information on
Facebook
after each pantry date. Follow us there to see all the great weekly happenings!
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The Interfaith Food Pantry of the Oranges is an equal opportunity provider.
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