SPRINGFIELD – Rachel’s Table was one organization that felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic when it came to their annual FoodRaiser.

Rachel’s Table, the food rescue program of the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts, hosts an in-person FoodRaiser every year. This event usually takes place at Big Y in Longmeadow, where teams compete to buy the most amount of food for the least amount of money. All purchased goods are then donated directly to various organizations throughout Western Massachusetts. This year, the event went virtual.

This was the 13th annual FoodRaiser, but the first that was hosted online.

"We knew we couldn’t replicate the event, nor did we want to, but we wanted to find a new way of bringing this not only to the community, but to the world,” said Sarah Maniaci, assistant director of Rachel’s Table.

Rachel’s Table partnered with OneDeeds to make the event possible. OneDeeds is a product donation platform designed to easily supply food and other needed items to non-profit agencies.

From Dec. 13 to 18, individuals were able to use OneDeeds to purchase non-perishable goods for the event. Individuals could compete to purchase the most amount of food for different levels of their choice, with price points of  $18, $36, or $72.

On Dec. 20, teams of local teenagers used OneDeeds to buy their goods. The youth teams were sponsored by Taylor St. Dental, individual donors and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

“I’m so excited that we’re able to do something like this. First of its kind ever. Nothing has been done virtually like this before,” said Maniaci.

Rachel’s Table hosted a Zoom call with youth team leaders while they were purchasing and the event was live streamed on YouTube. With both individual purchases and team purchases, 9,185 items were donated by 191 participants. All purchased food will be donated to Providence Ministries, Amherst Survival Center and Franklin County Community Meals Program. The food is currently being delivered to these organizations through Amazon, an affiliate of OneDeeds.

“These kids were so excited to be able to do something like this. They learn how to shop, they learn about nutrition and, most importantly, they learn that they can make a difference. They can give back and they can help others in the community who are food insecure,” said Maniaci.

Rachel’s Table hopes to be able to host this event in-person next year, though maybe with a virtual addition given the success of this event.

“I’m so happy we were able to do this. The needs right now are so incredibly high,” said Maniaci.

Those interested in learning more about Rachel’s Table are encouraged to visit their website at https://rachelstablespringfield.org/.