Just before the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry opens each day, a line of cars appears. The drivers wait patiently for their turn to pick up food. 

The pantry, operated by Jewish Family Services, helps alleviate food insecurity in the St. Louis area, and the need is significant. The pantry provided food to 19,500 people in 2022 and was tracking to assist the same number in 2023. Food insecurity is increasing, too. The food pantry saw an average of 197 new families each month in 2023. Inside the building, staff and volunteers gear up to serve their clients. 

Another critical component of the food pantry and its mission is a program known as Pallet Partners, founded by Earl Kessler and Al Siwak, a pair of old friends who quietly and effectively form a fundraising dynamic duo. The name comes from the wooden frame found in warehouses to hold dry goods. Pallet Partners is an important asset for the food pantry, said Miriam Seidenfeld, chief executive officer of JFS. 

“Al and Earl recognized that there was this real need for food and that the food pantry was growing,” Seidenfeld said. “Earl had a lot of connections through his business and was able to get pallets of food really inexpensively, so they solicited all of their friends to give money.”

Since Pallet Partners originated nearly 25 years ago, Kessler and Siwak have raised close to $400,000. To get a sense of the impact of those funds, $1,500 provides one year of food to 160 older adults living on fixed incomes. To maximize its efficiency, JFS looks for opportunities to buy food in bulk, said Stephanie Grant, chief operating officer.

“Bulk discounts have really allowed the pantry to procure a higher volume of food than we would be able to purchase in the general retail market,” Grant said. “We allocated a larger amount of donor dollars to food purchases this past year due to the high need in the community, and the bulk discounts offered by our partners has certainly translated to more guests served at the pantry in a meaningful way.”

Earl and Al’s big idea

Siwak, 90, a member of Central Reform Congregation, said, 

“Earl knew a place where he bought pallet loads of closeout canned goods. And one day he told me about it. So I said I’d be his partner.”

Kessler’s contact was Mark Bailey, the owner of Bailey’s Discount Center in Judson, Ind.  Kessler and his wife, Essie, took a trip there, and Bailey loaded up their car with food to bring back to the pantry.

“I said, ‘How much do I owe you?’ He said, ‘No, it’s on me,’ ” said Kessler, 89, a member of Temple Israel “The next day, we were unloading the car, and who do we see? Al Siwak. He said, ‘Where did you get that food?’ I told him story and he said, ‘Well, I’ll pitch in and I’ll help.’ And that’s how it started.”

Kessler and Siwak began paying Bailey for food by the pallet at a deep discount for the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry. It was a great deal, and they decided to increase their buying, asking everyone they knew to help out by donating money. The two formed an effective fundraising team because it was for a good cause and because, Kessler said, “We made it simple.”

One way they kept things simple was to make accounting efficient by requiring minimum monthly donations of $100, payable in two annual installments. Since the two created Pallet Partners, they transitioned from acting as the middlemen to acquire the food from wholesalers to strictly fundraising. Now they leave the buying to the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry’s manager, Leo Gliedt.

Kessler and Siwak met nearly 75 years ago, hanging out at the Jewish Community Center where they played basketball. Kessler is a Clayton High School alum. Siwak graduated from University City High School. Kessler eventually ran the family business, Artistic Furniture Co. Siwak headed up Paramount Headwear Co. The two have remained close friends over the years. They finish each other’s sentences. They poke fun at each other. And they continue to raise money for Pallet Partners. 

“We take a lot of pride in what we’ve done,” Kessler said.