Food Pantry

V’ahavta l’reacha kamocha (loving your neighbor as yourself)

It is important to treat people the way we want to be treated. We know that many people in our greater community don’t have access to necessities. Did you know that TRZ has a food bank that provides 60 bags a week of food and toiletries to 5 different LAUSD schools serving families in need? Donate food to our pantry and together we can do a mitzvah and help to feed those in need!

The Torah and Jewish tradition are explicit in commanding that we feed the hungry. "And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger. I the Eternal am your God. (Leviticus (23:22)" In Isaiah 58:7, God commands us to "share [our] bread with the hungry and bring the homeless into [our] house." Deuteronomy 15:7-10 elaborates on our commitment to helping the hunger person amongst us. The text states, "If there is among you a poor man, one of your brethren...you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him, and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be."

The TRZ Food Pantry started in 2011 with the idea of helping people in our area who were in need of food. While working with one of our LAUSD schools, we were introduced to PALS (Police Activity League Supporters) in Northridge. As many as 130 children between the ages of 7-17 come to PALS free after school program Monday –Fridays. They also come during winter, spring and summer vacations. We help supply snacks and drinks to this program. We give healthy snacks to the Canoga Park Boys and Girls Club and bags of groceries to those who come to visit our food pantry. We donate funds to Project Chicken Soup and Mazon.

We are extremely fortunate to have our Religious School, Early Learning Center, Youth Department, and Sisterhood all contribute to our thriving Food Pantry. The pantry is operated by volunteers at TRZ. Our volunteers do everything from stocking the shelves, bagging the food for the schools and delivering the food. We also are fortunate that we have monetary donations. With this money we can purchase the food needed that has not been donated.

We are also able to give Rabbi Sela gift certificates to local grocery stores for when he has a request from a family.

TRZ for many years has collected food for SOVA and continues to do so. SOVA is run and operated by Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles and distributes food to over 12,000 people each month in the San Fernando Valley, along with other areas in Los Angeles. We continue to donate barrels of food to them each month.

If you would like to donate food, we have  Bubbie carts in the walkway where you can put the food. Monetary donations can be written to the TRZ Food Pantry. Tributes can also be earmarked to the Food Pantry by clicking here.