Al Ford’s mitzvah project will make birthdays brighter

attention is given at holidays, and holidays include birthdays.

Often, families who need emergency food assistance aren’t able to celebrate a birthday. That’s where the Birthday in a Bag program comes in. Clients are given a gift bag with everything necessary to celebrate: cake mix, frosting, birthday candles, party plates and napkins, and even a Happy Birthday banner — sometimes party hats too.

mitzvah project, Al has made his first adult gift of tzedakah to the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley Annual Campaign for Jewish Needs.

For help developing your mitzvah project, contact Abby Trachtman, project coordinator, at abbyt@jflv.org or at the Federation office at 610-821-5500.

To put on the event, JDS received a grant from PJ Library through the PJ Library Engage program to hold four programs over 12 months. This and the Purim party on February 26 were the last two.

Lively family engage- ment is a vital part of a vibrant Jewish community. It facilitates the growth and building of relationships throughout the Lehigh Valley. Part of building and nurturing a thriving Jewish community is creating exciting, innovative, highquality programs to attract new families and empower families to get involved.

Crissy Toff is a Lehigh Valley native who recently moved back to Allentown from Northern California with her husband, Jason, and their three young children. In addition to volunteering at JDS and for the Women's Philanthropy division of the Jewish Federation, she spends her time building websites and reading nonfiction.

Al Ford will become a bar mitzvah at Temple Beth El in Allentown on Saturday, March 25.

The Springhouse Middle School seventh grade student loves Dungeons and Dragons, video games and coding. When planning his mitzvah project, he looked to his parents, Emily and Brian Ford. Emily is currently on the board of Jewish Family Service, and Brian was a past JFS board member. “I decided to do a project to benefit the JFS food pantry,” Al said. “I am collecting birthday items for the JFS Birthday in a Bag program.”

The JFS Community Food Pantry provides emergency assistance to individuals and families in the 18104 zip code, regardless of religion, in partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank. It also serves Jewish clients across the Lehigh Valley.

Stocked with food and personal items, the pantry is supported through contributions from our community and maintained by dedicated volunteers. Clients are able to choose the items they receive. Special

Al Ford has set up collection boxes for donations at Temple Beth El and the JCC. Birthday items may be dropped in the boxes, and the Fords will be collecting them from now until the end of March. Al and his family will pack the bags so that food pantry clients may receive one when there is a birthday in their family. “I feel like it would make their day a lot to receive the birthday items,” Al said.

If you have any questions about the project, email Al at fordmitzvah@gmail.com.

Brian and Emily are so proud of their son and his interest in supporting the food pantry. “JFS is an organization that is near and dear to our hearts,” they said. “Something that we try to instill in our children is the importance of tzedakah (righteous behavior) and giving to those in need, so we were thrilled when Al chose to do his mitzvah project with the JFS Community Food Pantry. We are looking forward to packing the birthday bags and putting smiles on the faces of the food pantry clients.”

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