IRVINGTON, NJ — The Irvington Education Association is gearing up for its spring grocery giveaway, a biannual tradition in the Irvington School District. The union gives away groceries to families in the district around Thanksgiving and Easter, in advance of school breaks, so students in the district don’t have to worry about not having anything to eat while school is closed. The upcoming giveaway will be held Saturday, April 9.
“We were hearing from kids that they didn’t know how much they would have to eat when there was no school, and that broke my heart,” IEA treasurer and event organizer Lauren Greenfield said in a phone interview with the Irvington Herald on March 28. “Especially with COVID, it made it harder.”
Greenfield and IEA President Michael Byock said families who sign up for the spring giveaway will receive a turkey breast, vegetables, paper goods, cake mix and eggs to get them through the week off.
“We buy groceries in bundles and get the most for our money,” Greenfield said. “We try to make it things that will last, and not just to make one meal or for one day.”
IEA gets the money through a grant from the New Jersey Education Association; the PRIDE grant program awards funds to school districts to use for whatever they want. The Irvington union decided grocery giveaways would have the biggest effect. They buy the supplies from the ShopRite in Newark.
“Every year we give away every bit of food,” Byock said in a phone interview with the Irvington Herald on March 28. “We try to make it a fun event. We just want to help people in Irvington. We work with their kids every day, so we want to make sure they’re more comfortable at home.”
According to Byock, IEA gives out between 125 and 150 bags of food at each giveaway. Greenfield said they have 125 signup slots, reserving some bags for people who couldn’t sign up in time but still show up needing food. Currently, only 39 families have reserved groceries. ISD students and families can sign up online at www.irvington.k12.nj.us/april-grocery-giveaway.
“Every time we do this, they thank us and are so appreciative,” Greenfield said. “We give away reusable bags with the IEA logo on it, and we see people using them around town all year, so that’s a good sign. We’re teachers in the community and sometimes members of the community, so we want to help.”
Photos, courtesy of Lauren Greenfield, show the Irvington Education Association’s Thanksgiving grocery giveaway in November 2021.
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