The Gural JCC touches real lives every day at the S.H.O.P in Cedarhurst

Try not to let the frosted windows and the hidden location fool you. The Sustenance Hope Opportunities Place in Cedarhurst is a welcoming place to all who are in need.

The S.H.O.P., a social services hub created by the Marion & Aaron Gural Jewish Community Center, aims to provide nutritional support, basic necessities, guidance and encouragement to individuals and families facing hardship. The first anniversary open house was on March. 18.

Gural JCC’s Associate Executive Director Stacey Feldman said that former Executive Director Rina Shkolnik first introduced the idea for a food pantry in 2005. “While Rina thought of the initial idea of a food pantry in 2005, it was in 2016 when our executive director at the time Joel Block wanted to have a one-stop self service place,” Feldman said.

Nobody is turned away and all the items are free. “Anybody who comes in that is seeking food can come in and shop with no questions asked,” Feldman said. “If they come in multiple times after, that’s when we’ll ask questions about their current situation and possibly refer them to our social workers.”

On average, a family comes to the S.H.O.P. once a month for food and is also able to come in for clothing as much as they want to, Feldman said. “We currently give families four different lists to follow all which depend on family size,” she said. “We’re in the process of cutting down to just two different lists. One list for a family of one to four members and another for a family of five or more.”

The building has the setup similar to a 7-Eleven or a Target. This is not coincidental, according to Feldman. “When children walk in here, we want it to be as if they’re shopping at a store like Target,” Feldman said. “Our last location was smaller and it had bad lighting so we made sure to design this one to make it a great environment for our shoppers.”

The kosher food pantry was on Central Avenue in Woodmere until October 2017. It was only 600-square-feet. The S.H.O.P. is 2,500-square-feet. Social worker Dalia Abott empathizes with the people she helps. “Nobody should have to go hungry, and I find it very unsettling for a parent not to be able to feed their child,” she said.

The S.H.O.P. also offers counseling services. There are job and apartment listings posted on a bulletin board and there are computers where people can create their resumes.

“The purpose of tonight’s open house is to give our community members a look at what we do,” said Gural JCC President Steven Bernstein. “This is not just JCC knocking out your door looking for money, this is real lives that we touch everyday as we currently feed close to 300 families each month.”

Feldman said that the S.H.O.P. is needed. “In the southwest corner of Nassau County, there are currently 20,300 Jewish people living at or below the poverty line and the needs for people are growing,” she said. “That number needs to be decreased.”

To donate, drop off goods at the S.H.O.P. at 591 Marvin Mall in the Maple Plaza in Cedarhurst from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 1 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday.