With his Bar Mitzvah approaching, Zach asked his friends and family to contribute food and other necessities in lieu of traditional gifts. In the end, he donated 429 pounds of items to the nonprofit.
“I came up with the idea of ‘Covid Care,’ a Feed the Families Food Drive, as my mitzvah project to help collect toiletries and food for less fortunate people,” Zach said. “It feels pretty good to have donated. I visited Boca Helping Hands on a school student council field trip a couple years ago. The pandemic has been tough on so many people in our community, so I was inspired to help."
Mandel is a 7th grader at the Pine Crest School in Boca Raton. The donations, which he picked up from friends and delivered to Boca Helping Hands, included canned fruits and vegetables, cereal, cereal bars, crackers, jelly, pasta, peanut butter, soup, tomato sauce and rice. He also collected toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, razors, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner and soap. Friends and family either purchased the items themselves or used an Amazon link.
“Zach really set an example for kids his age,” said Greg Hazle, Executive Director of Boca Helping Hands. “We’re delighted to have received this generous donation of much-needed items.”
