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2007

Charity Watch Feature

Table to Table was pleased to receive the highest scores and to be recognized as “renowned for its efficiency” in the Charity Watch feature in The Record.

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Full House, Full Heart, Full Stomachs

David Burke, passionate Table to Table Board Member and celebrated Chef/Owner of davidburke & donatella restaurant, won a triumphant upset victory in this year’s

Celebrity Chef Charity Poker Tournament sponsored by Foxwood's Resort Casino on Saturday, June 16th at the 25th annual 2007 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. As a result, Table to Table will receive $10,000 -- enough money to serve more than 100,000 meals to our hungry neighbors in northern New Jersey.

David is not a poker player; in fact, he had never even played the game before. So when he was asked to join the competition by colleagues Bobby Flay and Tom Colicchio, both hot shot poker players and frequent winners of this tournament, he thought it was a big joke. But David’s warm heart and loyalty to friends, aided by a competitive nature, gambler’s instinct, and willingness to act on a whim, led him to accept their challenging invitation and he designated Table to Table as the beneficiary of his potential

winnings.

When asked about the experience, David said that he "just learned as we went along. I felt like I was one of the Sopranos.” In fact, at one point in the game he was almost out. But whether it was beginner’s luck, undiscovered natural talent or divine intervention, seasoned players Flay, Colicchio, and Ming Tsai found David to be unbeatable.

“We are thrilled with this gift,” says Table to Table’s President and founder Claire Insalata Poulos. “We'll apply it to our Endowment Campaign where it will continue to work for this community for years to come. And we send our congratulations to David! Obviously, he's a very quick study.”

Lillian Booth, a philanthropist and guest at our Chefs Gala, upon listening to Table to Table President Claire Insalata Poulos’ inspirational speech, decided to make a $50,000 contribution to the organization. This spontaneous announcement was met with a standing ovation and Ms. Booth’s donation will be placed directly into the organization’s endowment fund, where its value will help assure that Table to Table’s services become a permanent gift to the community;

Mazel Tov to Benjamin Goldner on his Bar Mitzvah and Happy Birthday to Rudy Mueller, a member of Table to Table’s Board of Directors, both of whom were tremendously moved by the experience of riding on Table to Table’s truck for a day. Benjamin requested that his guests contribute to the organization in lieu of giving him Bar Mitzvah gifts, and Rudy requested donations in honor of his recently celebrated “milestone” birthday. More than $35,000 has been received in their honor, which translates conservatively into more than 350,000 meals.

The Junior Woman's Club of Ridgewood raises mo

ney to benefit local organizations through a variety of events held throughout the year. In response to a grant request submitted by Table to Table, the Club elected to donate $3,175 this year to help fund Table to Table’s van driver's salary. The check was presented to Executive Director Ilene Isaacs at the Club's year-end luncheon by Tricia Mueller, the Charity Liaison, and the outgoing Club President, Liz Wellinghorst. Last year’s donation was designated by the Club to pay for a six month supply of steamer pans used to transport food from Table to Table's donors to its recipients.

The Colonial Road School in Franklin Lakes hosted its fourth fresh food drive for Table to Table. Students and parents received immediate feedback about the value of their donation as items were weighed and students were told how many meals their donation would provide as their bags of food were placed into Table to Table’s refrigerated truck for delivery later that day. 358 pounds of food (enough to provide 550 meals) were collected in just 45 minutes! Parents encouraged the children to grow their own produce for the fall drive by giving them a packet of seeds for each pound of food donated.

2006

We Did It Again! - We Exceeded Our Goal in 2006!

Table to Table delivered food for more than 4,800,000 meals in 2006 - 550,000 more than had been projected for the year. As the need for fresh, wholesome food in our community continues to rise each year, this additional food was welcomed with open arms and great appreciation by the agencies to which it was delivered.

"Wrap Up Your Holidays" An Unprecedented Success

The 2006 annual gift-wrap project at The Shops at Riverside in Hackensack raised $13,000, making this year our most successful season to date. The project benefited this year from an outstanding location in this beautiful and evolving mall, and the hard work of dedicated teams of volunteers who shared their creative gift-wrapping talents from Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve. Sponsored once again by Bergen Health & Life Magazine and The Shops at Riverside, the project attracted the attention of many local residents, including former NY Knick Patrick Ewing, pictured with Table to Table volunteer Jean Cavallaro.

Whole Foods Market Partners with Table to Table this Holiday Season

In a true display of holiday spirit, Whole Foods Market donated 5% of the December 6th sales in its Ridgewood and Edgewater, NJ stores to Table to Table, raising nearly $7,000 to fight hunger right here in our own community.

Middle School Students Rally to Address Hunger During the Holiday Season

The holidays were made more special for recipients of Table to Table deliveries this year thanks to the extraordinary bounty of fresh and prepared foods collected by Student Council members of the Ramapo Ridge Middle School.

Fresh hams, turkeys, dairy products and produce collected by the students, along with fresh pizzas and baked ziti prepared and donated by Jersey Boys Restaurant in Mahwah, helped comprise the 1,680 pounds of food that were donated.

Table to Table Food Drive Liaison Julie Kinner was amazed by the amount and quality of food brought in by the students. "It was immediately apparent that the entire school had rallied around this effort to make a difference in the community. From the students to the Principal, everyone was aware of the need they were addressing and excited by the opportunity to help."

Bag a Lunch, Help a Bunch program raises over $40,000!
Banks, real estate agencies, financial advisors, schools and hundreds of individuals throughout Northeast New Jersey joined together to support Table to Table’s first-ever Bag a Lunch, Help a Bunch, an imaginative one-day fundraising initiative. Participants donated the money that they’d have typically spent on lunch (many generously giving more!) to help ease the hunger in their communities. Sponsored by Whole Foods Market and North Jersey Media Group, this inaugural year was a resounding success!

Kraft Employee Fund (KEF) Northeast awarded $40,000 to Table to Table in response to a grant submitted for support of the food rescue program. Ilene Isaacs and Claire Insalata Poulos joined other grantees and members of the KEF Leadership Council at a reception in the company's East Hanover facility.

Panera Bread continued its generous show of support for Table to Table during a Community V.I.P. Party celebrating the opening of its newest bakery cafe in Fairlawn. At the event, Mark Brownstein, COO of the Fenwick Group, a franchisee of Panera Bread, presented a $10,000 check to Table to Table Executive Director Ilene Isaacs.

The Institute of Culinary Education, known as Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School until 2001, established an Alumni Hall of Achievement as part of its recent 30th anniversary celebration. The inaugural inductee class of 50 accomplished alumni were chosen based on their achievements and dedication to the food industry. Table to Table takes great pride in announcing that its very own President and founder, Claire Insalata Poulos, was selected to be a member of this distinguished inaugural group.

The Junior Woman's Club of Ridgewood once again selected Table to Table as a recipient of a portion of the proceeds from its 2006 fundraising efforts to benefit local charities. This year's donation was designated by the Club to pay for a six month supply of steamer pans used to transport food from Table to Table's donors to its recipients. Megan Dunphey, the Club's President, and Kelly Gioia, Charity Liaison, presented the $3,000 check to Table to Table's Executive Director, Ilene Isaacs, at the Club's annual meeting and luncheon. The Club's 2005 donation was earmarked for fuel costs for Table to Table's vehicles for a four-month period.

Students Hold Third Fresh Food Drive

Students at the Colonial Road Elementary School in Franklin Lakes held their third fresh and perishable food drive to benefit Table to Table on Friday, May 12th. A Table to Table refrigerated truck was on site to collect and weigh all donations, and the children were excited and proud to learn that they had collected approximately 600 pounds of fresh and wholesome food, which would be delivered the same day to agencies that feed the hungry. For more information on how students can raise food and funds for Table to Table, contact Julie Sciaino at jsciaino@tabletotable.org.

The Contemporary Club of HoHoKus presented a $5,000 check to Table to Table’s Executive Director, Ilene Isaacs, at the Club’s annual meeting on Monday May 1st. Funds were raised at a gala dinner dance sponsored by the Club’s YAC Committee and were donated to several local charities.

A Certificate of Appreciation was presented to Table to Table by the Salvation Army of Passaic at its Annual Thank You Luncheon. To the applause of the volunteers who work in the soup kitchen, Table to Table was thanked for the consistently nutritious and wholesome food that it brings to feed the many hungry participants in the Salvation Army Program. Noted by the volunteers was the great anticipation with which the deliveries are met each week, and how Table to Table driver Edgar Brieva is welcomed as “one of the family.”

Table to Table was presented a check for $500 by committee chairperson Ed Zelhof at the Saddle River Valley Lions Club’s 2006 Charity Night Program. Table to Table was fortunate to have been selected as one of a number of funding recipients from primarily Bergen County not-for-profit agencies. The funds dispersed during the evening were raised through year-round projects and activities run by the Lions Club for the specific purpose of reaching out and providing assistance to the community.

2005

Spectacular Evening Launches Second Year of Endowment Campaign

While there are few certainties in life, with its 2005 Endowment Campaign, Table to Table will strive to make the ongoing operation of its trucks one of them. Read more...