JF&CS News Spring 2018

The 6th Annual Ride for Food was held on a beautiful fall day in September, with 350 people turning out to cycle 10, 25, or 50 miles in support of hunger relief. This year, the JF&CS Family Table team showed up in full force with 30 riders, all raising funds and biking the course to support Family Table.

Family Table is already in the planning stages for this year's Ride for Food, which will take place Sunday, September 23, 2018.

While some riders have been biking with Family Table for several years, the JF&CS Family Table team is always joined by first-time riders like Andrew Abraham. For Andrew, the work Family Table does to eradicate hunger inspired him to join the team. Family Table is the largest kosher food pantry in New England and provides groceries to more than 500 families a month. Andrew believes in the importance of fighting against hunger, sharing, "The ability to provide proper nutrition is incredibly important, especially for kids. If a child isn't fed properly, they could endure the effects for life."

Another Family Table team rider, David Goldstone, shares this sentiment and implored his friends and family to donate to the cause, writing in an email, "Nothing is more basic than food, and yet it is a sad fact that about 1 in 10 people in Massachusetts struggles to put food on the table. The Ride for Food partners with 17 local food relief organizations to help meet this need." He wrote, "I'm personally riding to support JF&CS Family Table. Our family has actively supported Family Table for years, including packing food for clients and making deliveries. My daughter's mitzvah project was packing and delivering food for Family Table."

Andrew feels a similar personal connection to Family Table and is grateful for the opportunity it provides for his children to deliver food to families in need. "Family Table is so important for my kids. The idea of someone not having food is foreign to them, so Family Table really opened their eyes to see that not everyone lives like they do." Andrew and his family continue to be inspired by the breadth of services JF&CS provides and the work Family Table is doing to fight for hunger relief.

Andrew, David, and their teammates raised $39,000 for the 2017 Ride for Food, surpassing Family Table's goal. Each dollar raised by the JF&CS riding team directly supports Family Table, making it the biggest fundraiser of the year for Family Table. Three Squares New England supports food pantries and hunger organizations in Greater Boston by organizing the Ride for Food and raising awareness around problems of food insecurity and waste. The entire event exceeded its goal by raising more than $500,000.

The miles the JF&CS team biked and the funds they raised all bring critical awareness to the goals of Family Table. "Our primary mission is to end hunger in the Jewish community," said Bernice Behar, the Director of Family Table, "but we are there to help anyone who needs assistance." Please support the Family Table team by joining us as a rider or a volunteer, or by donating to your favorite rider! Visit www.jfcsboston.org/RideForFood to learn more.