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Thanksgiving Basket Collection Gets Help from Two B’nai Mitzvah Students

12/07/2020 09:57:49 PM

Dec7

Religious School may be virtual this year, but the generosity and love shown by our children and families is very tangible and very real. TBE families have once again collected cans and boxes of food for the Goodman Community Center, helping to fill baskets with all the ingredients needed for a Thanksgiving meal. Usually each grade brings in an assigned item, such as cranberries or stuffing mix, and the items pile up in the coatroom in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.

This year, we used the "front porch" method to collect the food. Families dropped off cans and boxes at one of the eight houses around town. Some members donated cash through the Goodman Community Center website to help buy turkeys and other perishable items. Working together, our TBE families helped the Goodman Community Center reach its goal of serving 4,000 families (22,000 individuals), by collecting a record number of 597 food items. 

Some of this success is due to two students who made food collection their b'nai mitzvah project.  Henry Riley and Gabe Staresinic are studying to become b’nai mitzvah this year. In addition to collecting food from TBE members, they reached out to neighbors and friends to join in. Henry said: “Thank you to everyone who donated items so families in need can enjoy a Thanksgiving meal. We collected 90 items and got many different kinds of food. I feel good about helping with this cause and hope that it brings joy to some families who otherwise may not have much for the holiday.” 

According to Gabe: "I picked this project because I wanted to help out families that can't afford this wonderful time each year. This year we also are in a pandemic and lots of people are struggling even more. Hopefully by raising all of this food we can give more people a great Thanksgiving dinner. Also, I hope this will make people receiving this food happy that people care for them, and the people who donated the food will feel good that their money and food that they gave is going towards a good cause.”

Thanks to all who contributed for giving so many grateful families a holiday meal to enjoy together! Special thanks to Henry and Gabe; to all our front porch families; to Pam Robbins, Julie Swedarsky, Rochelle Alpert, and Aleeza Hoffert for organizing; to Rochelle for also delivering some of the food; and to Laurie Borkon and Nicole Jahr for coordinating with Religious School familes. We also recognize Rabbi Jonathan Biatch for making a donation from his discretionary fund to help meet the extraordinary need this year. 

May 1, 2025 3 Iyar 5785