Through the generosity of the Claire Freidlander Family Foundation, 3SQUARE, a project of United Jewish Federation, has secured the funding necessary to expand the program to a second school.

For the upcoming 2023-2024 school year, UJF will begin to provide weekend food for food insecure students at Stamford’s Hart Magnet Elementary School. United Jewish Federation’s 3SQUARE program has also successfully provided supplemental nutrition to food insecure students at Rogers International School for the past nine years.

The purpose of this project is to provide food for students deemed “in need” by their school social workers over weekends and holidays, when they do not receive meals at school. 3SQUARE sends students home with reusable grocery bags that contain a variety of shelf-stable, kid-friendly, healthy, and easy to prepare foods and snacks. Often, bags have enough so that food can be shared with family members. In addition to the weekly bags, students have received special holiday bags immediately before their winter, spring and summer vacations. These include cheerful holiday items, fun activities and needed hygiene products.

In the nine years 3SQUARE has operated, other than during the school closures associated with the pandemic, dedicated volunteers have never missed a scheduled delivery. 3SQUARE is actively looking for additional volunteers to help support the expansion. Please contact Jill Kaplan to find out more and how to get involved at 203-323-1065.

This article appears in the September Issue of The New Jewish Voice newspaper. To receive The New Jewish Voice delivered free to your home, sign-up today at www.ujf.org.