-- Gabrielle J. Loeb

In order to serve a record number of needy Jewish families in our community, the Jewish Relief Agency, has expanded in many different ways. Each month, volunteers throughout the Philadelphia area congregate to pack boxes of food in a big warehouse and then deliver them to the hungry in our community. The warehouse is always packed with volunteers; in fact, volunteers must even wait in line to get a box to fill with food. As the warehouse grew more and more crowded with the increasing number of volunteers willing to dedicate their Sunday mornings to this worthy cause, a new location became necessary.

Filling boxes with canned goods.

Although this organization’s former warehouse was not long occupied, already a new warehouse was needed to accommodate the great number of volunteers and to serve the great number of needy people in the community. This new warehouse, located at 10980 Dutton Road in Philadelphia, is nearly twice the size of the previous one and it will allow the Jewish Relief Agency to continue to expand and serve more families.

The Jewish Relief Agency has expanded its hours of service as well in order to accommodate the needs of the people it serves. Since November, it has begun a late route pick-up program so that volunteers can pick up food boxes in the afternoon as well as the morning. This now allows Jewish children who attend Hebrew Schools on Sunday mornings to participate in the efforts, and it allows more food to be delivered in all.

The Jewish Relief Agency serves a dual purpose: aiding those in need and helping Jews bond as volunteers. The new executive director Amy Krulik explained,

"The Jewish Relief Agency (JRA) brings Jews of all means, ages and backgrounds into a universe of give and take to satisfy our community’s varying physical, social and spiritual needs. Through its energetic leadership, the Jewish Relief Agency creates excitement around the fundamental Jewish values of Chesed and Tzedakah. By providing meaningful and fun events attractive to a broad base of Jewish volunteers, the Jewish Relief Agency satisfies our unique desire to take care of each other and do good in the world."

With a new location, extended hours, and a new dedicated executive director, the Jewish Relief Agency is on its way to accomplish its mission of stamping out hunger in our Jewish community.

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