Providing food for the holidays to more than 200 students

The Mitzvah Brigade at Congregation Beth Am in Longwood is a volunteer group dedicated to serving the needs of the community, both Jewish and non-Jewish.

In 2014, the Mitzvah Brigade adopted Prairie Lake Elementary School when they learned that there was an acute need for food for over 200 students.

With the help from many members of CBA and organizations such as Feeding Children Everywhere, Pace Academy and Entenmann's Bakery Outlet-who donated peanut butter, cans of tuna fish, canned vegetables, bread and macaroni, and cheese-volunteers packed over 150 bags of food for the students to take home over Thanksgiving holiday and over 200 bags to be given out just before winter break.

"It is one of the ways to perform tikkun olam," (to Heal the World) said Matti Harac, who heads this project. Thanks to the following volunteers who helped with this project: Mati Harec, Fran Gelfrand,Sheila Lehner, Kaytlyn Taylor, Norma Greenberg, Flory Kahn and Marjorie Aristied (Prairie Lake guidance counselor).