NORTHAMPTON — The Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts has begun a rebranding effort, unveiling a new program and fundraising event this year and spinning off the organization’s long-running Rachel’s Table program to become an independent entity.

The federation’s board of trustees voted to turn Rachel’s Table, a food justice program that provides food to agencies such as soup kitchens and food pantries, into its own nonprofit in 2022, a change that took effect July 1.

“For the past 30 years, we have nurtured Rachel’s Table like a proud parent, and we are now seeing this program take off on its own journey,” Nora Gorenstein, the CEO of the federation, said in a statement. “In assessing our strategic priorities, it became clear that like any business, the federation has a responsibility to be efficient, sustainable and driven by data while staying focused on our philanthropic mission to care for others and for our community.”

Claudia Mejia-Haffner, a communications officer for the Jewish Federation, said the decision to spin off Rachel’s Table came from the overall success of the program, which has around 200 volunteers and delivers to more than 40 agencies, according to the group’s website.

“It was just too big a program to stay a program,” she said. “This change does not mean that they’re on their own. We will continue to support their work, but just in a different way as a constituent agency.”

The federation also plans this month to launch a new program, Dignity Grows, which will focus on distribution of hygiene products, including feminine hygiene products, to those in need of them. The program is officially set to begin on July 25, with a kickoff event on July 21, where volunteers will assemble individual kits to be distributed through the Amherst Survival Center.

“It’s a program that actually has been taken up by a lot of other [Jewish] federations across the country,” Mejia-Haffner said. “We work with volunteers and organizations to put together packages filled with personal hygiene products, so that women can continue on with their lives and be able to be a part of society.”

In the fall, the federation plans to take over the Ride to Provide fundraiser, which brings community members and various Jewish organizations together to participate in biking routes as well as a 5K run.

The event was originally created by UMass Hillel, a Jewish student organization. The Jewish Federation will run the event this year, with funds going toward the various organizations participating in the event.

The new program and event, as well as the spinning off of Rachel’s Table, are part of an overall “brand refresh” for the federation, which has updated its logo with a new font and palette of blue colors. The rebranding is occurring under the leadership of Gorenstein, who began serving as the federation’s CEO last yea.

“We’ve had a lot of good changes, positive changes within the federation, in the way we work with our partners in the programs that we’re able to offer to the community,” Mejia-Haffner said. “We really are just re-looking and revising everything that we are doing and just trying to see where we can make our impact.”

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.

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