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25 · Friday, March 5, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com Oakville supermarket opens kosher section Local Jewish residents no longer have to head to T.O. to buy kosher foods. A drive to the Sobeys store on Maple Grove Drive will get them to where a kosher section has been added to the grocery store's offerings. As a bonus to the move that has come about through a partnership between the store and local Shaarei-Beth El Synagogue, the store and synagogue will also partner to feed students in need through a sandwich program for Kerr Street Ministries (KSM). The Maple Grove Drive Sobeys is the first supermarket in Halton to dedicate a special section to foods prepared in accordance with Jewish law. In the wake of a meeting with Rabbi Stephen Wise, the spiritual leader of Shaarei-Beth El Synagogue, and the congregation's vice president, Nolan Machan, store manager Mike Mannella realized the area's Jewish community had to drive all the way to Toronto to purchase numerous everyday items. "We want to be a supermarket that caters to everyone's distinct food tastes and requirements," said Mannella. "And we're excited to provide a kosher section for everyone here in Oakville," he added. The kosher section is located in the ethnic food aisle towards the rear of the store and is home to dry goods while a kosher meats section is clearly labeled in the main meat section. The change makes the supermarket a one-stop shop for everyday dining, weekly Shabbat meals or holiday feasts. "I used to schlep all the way to Toronto to find a kosher chicken, now it's right down the street," said Machan. Wise praised Sobeys for its efforts to be as inclusive as possible. "Our community has a kosher kitchen," he said. "Now when we do community meals, we know that our local supermarket has all the products we want," said the rabbi. In order to honour the community commitment of both Shaarei-Beth El and Sobeys, the two are partnering in a unique social action project dubbed Sandwich Saturday. Once a month members of ShaareiBeth will make and package 150 lunches out of food donated by Sobeys and congregational families. These will then go to KSM to be handed out at KSM student programs to any children who may not get three meals a day. METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP OPENING NEW DOORS: Rabbi Stephen Wise, left, the spiritual leader of Oakville's ShaareiBeth El Synagogue, and Mike Mannella, manager of the Sobeys store on Maple Grove Drive, in the new kosher section of the grocery store.