Lakewood NJ Master Thread

[cholent]

More details please? What is this?

[Eliyohu]

Thanks!! Is it crazy busy?

Haven't been there too many times,
 The times I went there was a significant amount of people there. Depends how much "good stuff" is there for how crazy it'll be.

More details please? What is this?

Free food!
Every erev Shabbos GG leftover takeout, fruit, challah and some other random stuff is brought to a tent on olive court for anyone who wants to take

[yzj]

I would assume it’s meant for nitzrachim.

[Jellybelly]

I would assume it’s meant for nitzrachim.

So are the food boxes that the schools give out
🙄

[moko]

So are the food boxes that the schools give out
🙄

one is tzedaka? one is govt pork....hey, I'm not complaining but there's absolutely no comparison

[Iz]

one is tzedaka? one is govt pork....hey, I'm not complaining but there's absolutely no comparison

Pork in the boxes?!

[cholent]

Pork in the boxes?!

Don't believe all the LH you hear about Lakewood schools...

[Fish Tank]

one is tzedaka? one is govt pork....hey, I'm not complaining but there's absolutely no comparison

Exactly

[Fish Tank]

I would assume it’s meant for nitzrachim.

Right. They don't ask for your tax return at the entrance, but it's meant for people who can't afford to buy the stuff....

[Fish Tank]

So are the food boxes that the schools give out
🙄

There's no income limits on those. It's meant for anyone.

[YitzyS]

one is tzedaka? one is govt pork....hey, I'm not complaining but there's absolutely no comparison

The food distribution on Olive Street is not comparable to regular tzedakah in all ways. It is leftovers from a grocery that would no longer be fresh after Shabbos, so it is given out. If it's an empty week there, the extra food will go in the garbage. Unlike regular tzedakah, where unclaimed funds would go to other nitzrachim. Thus, IMO, someone like a kollel yungerman, who would not take tzedakah regularly but is not wealthy, should assess the amount of food versus the crowd. If there is always leftover, he should feel free to take. But if taking means that others won't get, then there would be a reason to refrain from taking.

That's my thoughts. Obviously, if the provider gives specific guidance on who it's intended for, it goes by that.

[yzj]

So are the food boxes that the schools give out
🙄

Wow!

[yzj]

Try going to any store and offer them ten cents on the dollar for a  pastry or take out item at closing time that they are getting rid of anyway and most likely  they will refuse. They would rather throw food out in the garbage than condition customers to get free stuff rather than paying for it during store hours. GG and many other stores allow the food to be given away right before Shabbos to nitzrachim as tzedaka (Sometimes some of it will make its way to BMG for the yungerleit). The last thing they have in mind is for regular people who would otherwise buy in the stores to come take thinking they are doing the stores a favor because the food doesn’t go in the garbage.

[MarkS]

All of this talk will serve to discourage people who could use the help from taking it.

You may think of a 'poor person' as a beggar in the kids books with patched clothing. Keep in mind that the local tzedakos like Ahavas Tzedaka and Tomchei Shabbos help many people who you would not know need help, and they do it in a nice way so that people don't feel like a nebach.

To say that one must be at the lowest level of the poor to accept help isn't useful talk.

As an example, someone asked his Rav - I heard that if someone is depressed they can listen to music during the 3 weeks. I'm not sure if I'm depressed -  can I listen?
The answer was - if you're not sure if you're depressed, YOU ARE DEPRESSED! Go listen to music.

Point is, if you're not sure if you can or can not accept this help, you likely need it - the askanim arranging it WANT you to enjoy it.

Posts here making people feel they need to be dirt poor to benefit aren't helpful

[Fish Tank]

The food distribution on Olive Street is not comparable to regular tzedakah in all ways. It is leftovers from a grocery that would no longer be fresh after Shabbos, so it is given out. If it's an empty week there, the extra food will go in the garbage. Unlike regular tzedakah, where unclaimed funds would go to other nitzrachim. Thus, IMO, someone like a kollel yungerman, who would not take tzedakah regularly.

I think most would agree that Kollel yungeliet fall under the "nitzrachim" category.

[yzj]

All of this talk will serve to discourage people who could use the help from taking it.

You may think of a 'poor person' as a beggar in the kids books with patched clothing. Keep in mind that the local tzedakos like Ahavas Tzedaka and Tomchei Shabbos help many people who you would not know need help, and they do it in a nice way so that people don't feel like a nebach.

To say that one must be at the lowest level of the poor to accept help isn't useful talk.

As an example, someone asked his Rav - I heard that if someone is depressed they can listen to music during the 3 weeks. I'm not sure if I'm depressed -  can I listen?
The answer was - if you're not sure if you're depressed, YOU ARE DEPRESSED! Go listen to music.

Point is, if you're not sure if you can or can not accept this help, you likely need it - the askanim arranging it WANT you to enjoy it.

Posts here making people feel they need to be dirt poor to benefit aren't helpful

Of course not. It is meant to be given out biderech kavod do anyone who needs it can avail themselves of it. That’s not what anyone is referring to. They are referring to those who simply assume that it is free food that the stores really don’t want to throw out so one is doing them a favor by taking it off their hands.

There is nothing wrong with the one who needs it to avail himself of the many wonderful organizations and individuals who are eager to help. Or for a yungerman  who is OK financially to take advantage of an offer of a freebie or discount before Yom Tov etc. from those who want to support Torah.

 But for those who are not  nitzrachim, get your freebies and handouts from Chase and Uncle Sam, and go to one of the many stores in Lakewood that discount their takeout before closing Friday if you want a bargain.

 There are some individuals however who sort of make a career out of knowing every possible thing that one can get from every organization or Tzedaka because it’s available. I can think of one individual who will express it in terms  of “you can get this from this particular organization, and that from that place“, even when the need is not necessarily there. They don’t realize that we were put into this world to be givers not takers. But that’s a whole other discussion.

[aygart]

One week, for various reasons, we needed to get some challah at the last minute. I went to some stores but couldn't get anything my family would eat. The only place I was able to get was at a place like this.

That said, in general these distributions are not reliable to get anything. If the boxes GG puts out at Bais Ahron are any sign, there will be lots of fish jelly and bits of random items. Once it is out of the store they are less concerned about conditioning people.

[Iz]

They don’t realize that we were put into this world to be givers not takers. But that’s a whole other discussion.

No it's not; it's exactly the point here!

[monkey]

Of course not. It is meant to be given out biderech kavod do anyone who needs it can avail themselves of it. That’s not what anyone is referring to. They are referring to those who simply assume that it is free food that the stores really don’t want to throw out so one is doing them a favor by taking it off their hands.

There is nothing wrong with the one who needs it to avail himself of the many wonderful organizations and individuals who are eager to help. Or for a yungerman  who is OK financially to take advantage of an offer of a freebie or discount before Yom Tov etc. from those who want to support Torah.

 But for those who are not  nitzrachim, get your freebies and handouts from Chase and Uncle Sam, and go to one of the many stores in Lakewood that discount their takeout before closing Friday if you want a bargain.

 There are some individuals however who sort of make a career out of knowing every possible thing that one can get from every organization or Tzedaka because it’s available. I can think of one individual who will express it in terms  of “you can get this from this particular organization, and that from that place“, even when the need is not necessarily there. They don’t realize that we were put into this world to be givers not takers. But that’s a whole other discussion.

Correct

I’m very familiar with the organizers of this Friday “chalukah”. Their goal is to give families that normally have the basics for shabbos the ability to bring home something special for shabbos. A second goal of the chaluka was that the food shouldn’t go to waste. Generally towards the end of the chaluka (15-20 minutes before hadlaka) they’d be happy with anyone coming and taking so  the food isn’t just tossed. There’s almost always allot of leftover challah and rolls

[yzj]

Thanks for the clarification.