I often think back to my experiences growing up in my small hometown of Danville. There were not many Jews living in any one specific area in the cities east of Oakland. It was similar to the experience I know many of us feel. I remember packing extra matzah during Passover so my classmates could try it because the concept of Passover was foreign to them. And I also remember my parents not always being able to find an adequate supply of Passover-related items in our local grocery stores. I share this in this week’s column following the update we sent out last week about our efforts to work with local grocery chains as we lead into Passover in just two-and-a-half weeks. 

 

The response we received from our update was phenomenal. People shared how much they appreciated our efforts and were happy to hear that they no longer needed to schlep from store to store looking for matzah meal or gefilte fish. As a reminder, we have worked with both Vons/Albertsons and Ralphs to centralize where they have their “larger” displays. For Vons, it is the Pasadena (2355 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena) and La Verne (1600 Foothill Blvd, La Verne) locations. Ralphs has three locations: Glendale (211 N Glendale Ave, Glendale, CA 91206), Pasadena (3601 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena), and Riverside (5225 Canyon Crest Dr, Riverside). A few people also pointed out that besides Vons/Albertsons and Ralphs, Gelson’s in La Canada had a large Passover selection (see pictures). 

 

We also heard from other people who shared that their local stores' selection was paltry. Thank you to everyone who shared what their experiences have been thus far. Your feedback and experiences are vital for us to know and learn about so we can continue our efforts next year to make things even better. Our goal from the beginning was to make shopping for Passover food less stressful and more convenient while knowing full well that this will be a work in progress since not all of our local chains were as responsive as we had hoped. So please continue to provide us feedback and ideas that we can compile and share as we continue to work with the local chains.

 

On a similar note… this Thursday we will be sending out our annual Passover Resource Guide. It includes a collection of useful resources, articles, recipes, and more to help you prepare for and celebrate Passover. It will also include all of the community seders our local synagogues are holding. Plus keep an eye out for the April issue of JLife SGPV which will hit your inbox on Friday.

 

One final plug… if you are looking for something fun, light-hearted, and entertaining, I hope you will come check out our latest JFed Players’ production… Grumpy Old Men. We still have four performances this week (Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday). Tickets can be purchased by clicking here.  

 

Here’s to a great week ahead.