Thanksgiving Mitzvah

by Lytal Lerer

Imagine you are a person who has no money to buy food. Every night you go to bed with any empty stomach. You feel that no one can help you.

There are families like this, and for them there is no pretending. If people had the time to help them, would they?

Last November, Hillel Academy’s student council decided to become involved in a community project. They knew that Thanksgiving was coming up, and that a lot of people in the Milwaukee area didn’t have the money to celebrate with big meals.

So a contest was held to see which class could bring in the most non-perishable food items. Every student was encouraged to bring in a couple of cans.

"It’s not just about winning," said Ariella Lerer, student council president. "It’s about helping someone who needs it the most."

The school collected and donated over 200 cans! It took almost an hour to count them up and check the list twice. The student council gathered the food and loaded it into a car. Dorene Paley, community services director for the JCC, came to Hillel and brought all the food to the Jewish Community Pantry.

So what are you thankful for? Your friends and family? Maybe the food on your table? Hillel Academy is thankful that we were able to do a collective mitzvah and help others in need. A helping hand can save lives!

Lytal Lerer lives in Milwaukee and is in 5th grade at The Academy (Hillel).