Fairy godmothers. The Tooth Fairy. And now, meet the pantry fairies at the Joan and Alan Berkinow JCC of Staten Island, a longtime partner organization of UJA-Federation. 

Clad in wings and tutus, these dedicated volunteers – many of them older adults – help bring surplus food from the food pantry to the social hall where seniors congregate weekly and help them place orders from pantry tablets.  

“We have extra produce and rather than have it go bad, we give it out to the people in the lunchroom who come in and need food,” explained JoAnn, one of the pantry fairies. “For whatever reason, maybe they’re embarrassed, they don’t want to come to the food pantry, so we come to them. Hopefully, this encourages them to come to the food pantry in the future.” 

The Fairy Origin Story 

Some of the pantry fairies started out as regular JCC volunteers, waiting to fill digital food orders and handing them over to people when they came to the pantry – one of 13 digital food pantries and 39 satellite panties in UJA’s network. But the pantry can get hectic, with constant food deliveries and a flurry of activity. 

“We quickly realized that sometimes it gets too hectic for our seniors,” said Paloma Wasserstein, the JCC’s Director of Social Services. “They don’t move as fast, and they want to spend more time socializing. So we began thinking how else they might contribute.”  

Paloma also noticed that many people visiting the JCC either didn’t know about the pantry or felt hesitant to walk downstairs. That sparked an idea: send senior volunteers upstairs to warmly greet people, explain how the pantry works, and make the connection feel easy and welcoming.  

“I joked that we need some pantry fairies to make that connection, and it just took off,” laughs Paloma. “We got wings and tutus, and it became this really colorful, fun way to get people interested in utilizing the pantry.” 

Now, everyone gets in on toting around fairy wings – even the teenage boys who volunteer from nearby South Richmond High School. 

Making An Impact 
 
“Our wonderful pantry fairies make people feel really comfortable accessing food, which is the goal,” said Lisa Lubarsky, Director of Membership and Community Engagement. “The fairies also ‘publicize’ the pantry. It’s a great connection for people who might be hesitant or reluctant for any reason.” 

Run by Steve Kaufman, the kosher digital food pantry serves Staten Island’s diverse population, including those who keep kosher and halal. This year, the pantry is on track to surpass 22,000 individuals served and 120,000 pounds of food distributed. Since the government shutdown and threats to SNAP, new registrations at the pantry have doubled for two consecutive months.  

Caryn, another pantry volunteer, packs digital food orders and helps stock shelves. But her face lights up when she talks about her fairy gig.  
 
“It brings to my life a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment, and giving back to the community,” she says. “Everybody needs a helping hand every once in a while.”