Dear Family and Friends,

In honor of my upcoming Bat Mitzvah on December 30th, I have decided to raise money to create a Backpack Buddies program at my new synagogue, Congregation B'nai Israel, located in Boca Raton, FL. Backpack Buddies provides a backpack full of food to feed a family for an entire weekend. Backpack Buddies was created to help families struggling to feed their children over the weekend when they are unable to rely on the school system to provide free or low cost breakfast and lunch. In New York City, I used to volunteer at my synagogue and pack these backpacks weekly for food insecure families in my neighborhood. While food insecurity has always been prevalent the pandemic has increased the number of families facing food insecurity in this country. I know that packing these backpacks for families is a mitzvah, and will bring not only a smile but a full belly to so many families in need. All of your donations will be used to purchase non-perishable food that I will pack up and deliver to families through an organization called Family Promise located in South Palm Beach County.