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Community Needs Bank
A safety net for neighbors experiencing hardships.
MORE INFORMATION
Nathalia Melo, Community Needs Bank Coordinator
516.484.1545 ext.212, nmelo@sjjcc.org
Funded in part by The Annette & Sheldon A. Sinnett BASICS Fund, Jewish Communal Fund: Donor Advised Funds, and UJA-Federation of New York
Brought to you by our Center for Community Engagement as part of Nikki Schwartz Memorial Community Needs Bank
Sid Jacobson JCC’s Nikki Schwartz Memorial Community Needs Bank and Food Pantry helps address food insecurity across Long Island and Queens.
With support from donors, volunteers, and community partners, The Bank collects and distributes non-perishable food, select perishable items, prepared frozen meals, personal care products, baby supplies, and household essentials to individuals, families, and partner organizations.
Led by a dedicated volunteer team, The Bank operates Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm, managing donations and inventory, coordinating services, and preparing deliveries of food and essential supplies. To protect each client’s privacy and dignity, assistance is delivered directly rather than provided on-site. This volunteer-led model expands our capacity to serve more individuals and families throughout our community.
Our Community Needs Bank also serves as a Life Skills Training Center site, where neurodivergent adults age 21+ build transferable skills through stocking, order preparation, and delivery support.
As a member of Met Council’s Food Pantry Network and a redistribution partner of Island Harvest Food Bank, The Bank extends its impact by supplying smaller pantries and partner agencies with food and essential goods, helping them better serve their communities.
Located in our JCC Annex at 200 Forest Drive, Suite 11, our Nikki Schwartz Memorial Community Needs Bank includes four centers:
- Nikki Schwartz Memorial Food Pantry
- Migden Family Household Needs Center
- Personal Needs Center
- Baby and Family Needs Center
Together, these centers distribute thousands of pounds of food, personal care products, household necessities, and family supplies each year, helping neighbors facing hardship access essential resources with dignity.
How You Can Help
Every donation helps provide nourishment, comfort, and essential supplies to individuals and families throughout our community.
You can support our Community Needs Bank by:
- Donating supermarket gift cards to help families meet their individual needs.
- Contributing food, household essentials, personal care products, and baby supplies.
- Bringing donations to our monthly Curb Your Mitzvah events, held on Sundays.
- Shopping Our Amazon Wish List.
- Making a Monetary Donation to help purchase food and critical supplies where they are needed most.
COMMUNITY DRIVES
Support your neighbors and help keep the shelves at our Nikki Schwartz Memorial Community Needs Bank full year-round. Each month, we focus on a high‑impact item drive — and we’re always collecting non‑perishable food.
January: General Food Drive
February: Feminine Hygiene
March: Prom Boutique (Dresses & Accessories)
April: Cleaning Products
May: Baby Diaper and Wipes
June: Condiments, Kitchen Tools, & Gadgets
July: Paper Goods
August: School Supplies
September: General Food Drive
October: Personal Care Products
November: Winter Coat Drive
December: Toys & Gift Cards
THE LUNCH BOX
The mission of the Lunch Box is to provide our Community Needs Bank food-pantry recipients with delicious, nutritious, homemade dishes. Lunch Box Chefs will receive instructions on how to safely cook and freeze one of our recipes, created by a registered nutritionist. Frozen meals will be added to weekday deliveries, so our neighbors facing food insecurity can safely enjoy them.
To become a Lunch Box Chef, please email cnb@sjjcc.org
