by Ronni Diamondstein
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester will host the first annual Northern Westchester Food Festival/We Feed the Hungry on Sunday, November 3, from 3-6 p.m. It promises to be a wonderful event to enjoy the tastes of the season and at the same time support MAZON, a non-profit organization that feeds the hungry of all faiths. The event is open to the public. Admission is $18 per person and $36 for families.
The festival is being supported by the Chambers of Commerce from Chappaqua/Millwood, Briarcliff, Armonk, Mount Kisco and Pleasantville. Vendors from area restaurants will prepare samples of fall and holiday specialties to sample; wines and beverages as well as dessert samplers will be part of the tasting. In addition, various Farmer’s Market vendors will offer various specialty items. “We hope that people will embrace this wonderful festival and bring their families,” says Stacey Blaustein Divack, who co-chairs the festival with Marla Schnecher. “We hope attendees will get into the spirit of Thanksgiving as they share an enjoyable and meaningful experience.”
The inspiration for the festival came from Susan Pecker, a Vice President of Temple Beth El’s Board of Trustees. “I wanted to find a way to reach out and bring the entire community together, focus on the common values we all share.” Pecker says that there were three factors that were obvious to her: everyone loves food, everyone loves to do good deeds and everyone wants to be a part of a community. “I thought that we should have the festival during Thanksgiving time, when we are all particularly focused on food and for what we are grateful,” says Pecker.
Helping the Vulnerable
All proceeds (above the operating costs) will go to MAZON, which was chosen to receive the proceeds because of its mission and the work it does to feed the hungry. “Judaism, Christianity, Islam and all faiths teach us that is it our sacred duty to accept responsibility for the vulnerable people in our midst. MAZON is a well-known nonprofit organization; its efforts span the country benefitting the hungry of all faiths and backgrounds,” says Pecker. For more information on MAZON, visit http://mazon.org
“Everyone is welcome. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we are fortunate to be able to share with others and hope to give back to those in need,”says Blaustein Divack. For more information about Northern Westchester Food Festival: We Feed the Hungry, go to http://www.bethelnw.org
