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Kids Deliver Bunches
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Kids Deliver Bunches of Lunches
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By Carolyn Conte
AT THE BUNCHES OF LUNCHES CHALLENGE April 27, 140 volunteers ranging from preschoolers to seniors made and delivered 1,877 meals to community members in need.
The majority of volunteers were from Krieger Schechter Day School and Beth El, while the recipients were from seven organizations including the Weinberg Housing and Resource Center. Leftover meals went to a group of people canvassing to gauge people’s needs in North Baltimore to distribute to the households they interviewed.
Ashley Pressman, JVC executive director, was at the KSDS drop-off location. While most of the kids she saw stayed in the car, “for the kids who I have talked about it, kids just really love having the chance to help,” she said.
Especially now, when many people feel powerless, opportunities like this benefit both the giver and receiver. “It meant so much that the bag was decorated,” Pressman said one recipient told her. “It was gift and not just a meal.”
JVC usually has educational programming included in its charity activities, making it service learning. In this case, because of social distancing, they were not able to reflect in a group setting on the economic and social implications of the recipients’ needs this time. However, Pressman does hope to create and post a resource guide that families can use to discuss over dinner.
Bunches of Lunches is a monthly program, and KSDS
averages an 85% participation rate in the school, according to Joe Uddeme, Bunches of Lunches chair.
Uddeme is a parent volunteer for KSDS, with two kids who help out. He assists, sorts, and delivers around 250 lunches from KSDS and Chizuk Amuno per month to various recipients. His sons pack and organize the food, and then he delivers them to school before they’re distributed.
“It’s greatly important to me because it has a direct impact on our community, the impoverished and homeless who don’t have anything. It’s the least we can do,” said Uddeme.
Uddeme’s son Asher, 12, enjoys being a helpful volunteer.
“I think that’s it’s a very good experience because it’s good to help people as much as we can, especially the people that don’t have any meals. I make sure that I make a lunch for them everytime there is a collection,” Asher said. He also tries to sneak in a cookie for each lunch when he can.
Uddeme’s youngest, Madden, 9, focuses more on the sorting. It seems to suit his style best.
“Earlier in the year we would usually put them in bins that said the grade and some people would drop them in random bins so I would stand in front of the bins and ask them what grade they’re in and sometimes they sneak past me and I said, ‘No, we’re sorting them by grade’,” he said.
Madden is even more passionate during these times.
“I think it’s really nice to help the people in need, especially now. Some people cannot work, and some people can work from home and they’re very lucky like my mom and my dad, but some people are not able to and it’s not really that great, and they don’t gain any money and in fact they lose some money because they still have to pay bills,” he said.
Madden is so eager that he said he has been thinking about this issue a lot and keeps asking his dad for more ways to help.
If you would like to help too, JVC will continue this service weekly with more information on its website, JVCBaltimore.org. JT
