Photo: 2023, NCJW NY.
By Steve Holt
If the phrase “back to school shopping” provokes distraught memories from childhood about the waning days of summer, think for a moment about the children whose families can’t afford that all-important trip to stock up for the new school year.
That’s why, since 2015, the National Council of Jewish Women New York (NCJW NY) has sponsored a Back 2 School Store at its headquarters at 241 West 72d Street, between Broadway and West End Avenue. About 200 elementary-school children from low-income families get to pick out everything they need for September, all brand new and free of charge. All participating families must be pre-registered by NCJW NY’s partner agencies, who certify that families are in financial need. This year’s store will be open from August 4th through 7th.
We’re posting this now because to help make this happen, NCJW NY needs about 150 volunteers: to act as “personal shoppers” and “department clerks,” and to set up the store before the happy shoppers arrive.
As NCJW NY’s Executive Director Andrea Salwen Kopel explains, “It’s very labor and time intensive for children to come to the store and do their shopping and be served in a really thoughtful and individualized way. Two hundred children may not sound like a lot by New York City standards, but we’re going for quality, not quantity. We’re really looking to have an impact and provide a special experience.”
The lucky students have already been chosen by NCJW NY’s partner organizations, including Goddard Riverside, Lincoln Square Neighborhood Center, and a half dozen others, from among their existing clients.
If you’d like to volunteer in the store, here’s a link. If you have questions about volunteering, you can email NCJW NY’s Volunteer Manager Aviva Zadoff at azadoff@ncjwny.org. And if you’d like to make a contribution to support the store, you can do that here.
Still thinking about helping out? Take a look at the above video, which captures the flavor of the event, and what it means to the kids. According to Kopel, “All our volunteers say it’s their favorite day of the year.”
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“think for a moment about the children whose families can’t afford that all-important trip to stock up for the new school year”
I remember how stressful this was for my (large, economically unstable) family growing up. This is a great program.
This will be my 3rd year setting things up. Such a good feeling to make things arranged by size, color,etc so that the children can choose what they need and love.