Stories From Main Street: Groups Look To Help Paterson's Hungry On Giving Tuesday
PATERSON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- In this age of rampant consumerism, some people are trying to reclaim the true spirit of the holidays.
That is the thrust of Giving Tuesday, which started at the 92nd Street Y a few years back, WCBS 880's Sean Adams reported.
"This is our obligation as individuals who have in our community to be able to give to those who don't have," said Zvi Marans, president of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, which has been collecting food for families in Paterson.
This year, Giving Tuesday is Dec. 2.
"We need everything, absolutely," Marans said. "We'll take everything from the turkey to the cranberry sauce and everything in between."
The group has been accepting donations at its headquarters in Paramus.
"You don't have to go from Paramus to Paterson," said Gary Siepser, the Jewish Federation's chief development officer. " ... In every single city, every town, there are people who don't have food to put on the table, and it is the shocking and appalling reality of our community."
The Rev. Patricia Bruger, who runs the CUMAC food bank in Paterson, said her organization has seen an increase in demand this year -- and she thinks she knows why.
"Food stamps -- what used to be called food stamps," she said. "Their SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits have been reduced, and some of the first population to experience that dramatic change were senior citizens and disabled."
Some people might look at the collaboration and see the dividing lines -- race, religion, socioeconomic status.
Siepser, however, chooses to focus on what the participants share in common.
"Our concern is the total community," he said. "If the total community isn't healthy, Jewish life can't thrive. So we're concerned about everybody having."
Added Bruger: "They recognize, just like we do, that we all need to be partners, and we all have a responsibility to help one another. It's the way the world should be."
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