Photo by Justin Katz
Congregants from Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation have the process of packing snack bags down to a science.
In a little more than 15 minutes, a couple dozen congregants can stuff 225 gallon bags with nonperishable, kid-friendly foods for local children in need.
Members of the Reston-based Reform synagogue regularly gather to pack about 450 gallon-sized bags each month. NVHC donates the food to nearby Forest Edge Elementary School, which distributes it through its Saturday Snackers program.
“Logistically, having done it so many times, we’ve figured out exactly what to place where so the bags fit best” on the tables, said Bob Fenster, regular snack bagger with his wife, Allison Behar.
In fact, “a number of the [synagogue’s] kids have done [the bagging] so many times that they can actually do it themselves. It’s really neat to see them organize the whole thing rather than us parents having to organize it,” Fenster added.
Congregants meet monthly to pack trail mix, fruit cups, tuna, oatmeal, raisins, granola bars and other easy-to-eat items. Teens have their own monthly packing session.
Behar said each session usually draws up to 30 people, but on Jan. 15 about 50 congregants took part.
“It’s easy to contribute to it. It’s easy to go to the grocery store and get several boxes of granola bars,” said Behar.
Congregants bring the food to NVHC’s multipurpose room and unpack it on foldable tables which are lined end to end. Then they queue up and fill their bags as they move down the line toward the end. The stuffed bags are put into large bins, which a congregant takes to the school in Reston.
The program, which has been running for five years, has become a life lesson for the children in the congregation.
“When we found out about it, I thought it would be a cool thing to do to hang out” with friends, said Jordan Henry, 10, who was at the Jan. 15 packing session. “But now I [understand] how important it is. I’m happy when I do it because I know that all of the kids are going to be getting food that they may not have.”
Lee Henry, Jordan’s mother, added that the program is a reminder for parents to teach their children that not everyone always has enough food to eat.
Saturday Snackers is organized by Forest Edge, and not a part of the federally funded free-and-reduced-meal program. About 28 percent of students in Fairfax County Public Schools students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, according to the school system’s website.
“I feel very fortunate to have a partnership with the Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation,” said Principal Leona Smith-Vance. “I appreciate [NVHC’s] effort and our children are excited every week to get their food.”
Karin Altshuler, of Sterling, regularly helps packs bags with her daughter, Reghan Peterson, 7, and said she volunteers because “that that Ziploc bag might be the only food [some children] have on the weekends.”
