COMMUNITY MAGAZINE April 2021

22 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE This past Pesah, thanks to a new community initiative, hundreds of needy families who otherwise might have gone without proper provisions for the holiday didn’t have to worry about putting food on the table. For them, this holiday was indeed different from all other holidays – because there was a new organization at-the-ready to step up to the plate. Flatbush Community Fund (FCF) has, for the past three years, been a lifeline for countless communitymembers – those struggling paycheck to paycheck to make ends meet, those in desperate need to pay for the necessities of life. And that is particularly true during the past year, when so many have been economically devastated by the pandemic. Thankfully, more than $1.5 million in food aid was given out to community members, so thattheycouldpartakeinfestivemeals without empty stomachs, shame, or indignity. But one might ask: what about the scores of existing community social safety nets? Aren’t they already taking care of struggling families? The answer, surprising as it sounds, is that some families fell through the cracks. Although there are scores of charitable organizations all doing fine work, only one – Flatbush Community Fund – has arisen to forge partnerships with other assistance programs in order to reach more people in need. “A ONE-STOP SHOP” Three years ago, a philanthropist in our community who had been helping a family in financial distress quickly came to the realization that there were other families like them who didn’t know where, or to whom, to turn. Not everyone who needed help knew of a program or a person to ask. And this donor wasn’t alone; some of his peers who helped the needy also understood the problem. So many in the community were defaulting on mortgages, facing utility shut-offs, or going into overdraft to simply buy the basics – with nowhere to turn for the help they desperately needed. Together, these generous donors decided to plug the gaps, and provide more resources, by creating a central hub where anyone of any background could find help: the Flatbush Community Fund. FCF touts itself as a unique multiservice organization, helping with food, bills, clothing, and interest-free loans. “We are trying to make it a one-stop shop, so that the people who need help have one address that they can turn to,” said Yitzy Weinberg, Executive Director of Flatbush Community Fund . “At the same time, we DAVE GORDON SOMEONE’S BEEN HELPING YOUR  FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND NEIGHBORS How the Flatbush Community Fund has Quickly Become a Lifeline for Local Families in Distress "The Pasuk … - אשרי משכיל אל דל Fortunate is he who contemplates [how to help] the needy… is personified by the Flatbush Community Fund, a community-based tzedakah organization looking to help all needy families in our area, including many Sephardic families where I have been personally involved." Rabbi Haim Benoliel , Bnei Yosef, Rosh HaYeshiva of Mikdash Melech