Feeding with All Faiths Food Bank

 

The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee granted $25,000 to the Campaign Against Summer Hunger this year. We wanted to show you in real numbers just how far donor dollars go.

“Our new mobile pantry grew by the minute! We served 250 children and families in just 2 hours. I will never forget the smiles on the faces of those children!”
~ Chuck Bonura, AFFB Mobile Pantry Coordinator

 

In the first 2 weeks of the program:
• 3,232 children were given backpacks with food for the weekend
• 1,300 children received snacks
• 2,102 children and 4,069 of their adult family members (6,171 total) received food from our mobile pantries

In addition:
• 14,419 breakfasts were served
• 29,406 lunches were served
• 3,000 dinners were served

Howard Tevlowitz, Federation Executive Director; Sandra Frank, All Faiths CEO; Ilene Fox; Mark Harrison and kids from Wilkinson Elementry

 

You are the Jewish community.
This is your Federation.
Together, we do extraordinary things.

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100 Days of Impact from The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee

 

100 Days of Impact started on September 22 and will run through the end of 2014. Each week we will demonstrate the the collaborative impact that we and our donors make locally and globally.

MAKE A DONATION

We couldn’t do it without your generous support.

 

100 Days of Impact: Empowering

Temple Beth Sholom Schools Donates Harvested Garden Veggies
to All Faiths Food Bank Sprout Program

“As part of our Native American studies curriculum at TBS Schools, our Second and Third graders planted corn, beans and squash this season. We thought partnering with All Faiths Food Bank for this harvest would truly exemplify our service based initiatives here at the school, demonstrating to our students how important it is to give back to the community,” said Robin Sweeting, assistant principal at TBS Schools.

TBS Schools students with All Faiths Food Bank staff in front of the Sprout mobile food truck with their harvest

In addition to the corn, beans and squash, students harvested onions, kale, radishes, and several other vegetables that were full grown. Students picked the fresh veggies and loaded them onto the All Faiths Food Bank Sprout truck. The Sprout mobile produce program is the first of its kind in the area, which delivers fresh fruits and veggies to almost 5,000 families in Sarasota County. “We could not be more thrilled to see kids helping kids in the community,” said Sandra Frank, executive director of All Faiths Food Bank, who stopped by to thank the children personally.

TBS Schools look forward to expanding their student service learning projects for the 2014/2015 school year with a generous grant from The Jewish Federation of Sarasota–Manatee. The grant, “Family, School, Community, The World!” will provide an opportunity to expand the connections already developed, as well as foster new service learning projects with additional organizations in our community.

In addition to working with All Faiths Food Bank, the students have provided technology training to seniors at the Kobernick House, led craft and cooking activities for young adults at Easter Seals, tutored children at Everyday Blessings, and baked goods, created Thanksgiving decorations, and donated clothing and household items to the Salvation Army Family Shelter. Now with the support of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota–Manatee, they will be able to impact our community in an even greater way.

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100 Days of Impact from The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee

 

100 Days of Impact started on September 22 and will run through the end of 2014. Each week we will demonstrate the the collaborative impact that we and our donors make locally and globally.

MAKE A DONATION

You are the Jewish community. This is your Federation. Together, we do extraordinary things!

100 Days of Impact: Engaging

The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee provides programming for young Jewish adults that gives a sense of community for an age group which isn’t very well represented here. By gaining access to career and social networking these young adults are able to make friends and sometimes even find jobs with fellow Jews.

Scotty Felsenfeld is a young man you moved to Sarasota from Michigan hoping for a fresh start. His family recently moved here so he had a foundation. 3 days after the big move he came to one of our YAD (Young Adult Divison) happy hours. He got to know many people, who he calls friends to this day and someone else very important. As a video editor he was concerned that he would not have many job opportunities here on the suncoast but he met someone who was a producer at the HUB.

“Being a part of YAD has brought on incredible experiences for me. I’ve met wonderful people, I’ve seen awesome places around town and at my first YAD event, days after moving to Sarasota, I connected with someone who got me my dream job! I look forward to meeting more interesting and fun people” – Scotty Felsenfeld.

YAD provides opportunities for personal growth and community activism, while building strong relationships in the Jewish world.  Join us for an upcoming social event! Visit the YAD page or contact Len Steinberg at 941.552.6301 or lsteinberg@jfedsrq.org for more information.

100 Days of Impact: Protecting

As of today, there are just 100 days left of 2014.

100 Days of Impact from The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee

Each week, from now through the end of the year, The Jewish Federation will highlight different ways our donors impact the lives of others in the Sarasota-Manatee community, in Israel and around the world.  These stories each week will depict the ways in which your donations benefit others and bring meaning to their lives.  It is fitting, that we start our 100 Days of Impact as we begin the Ten Days of Penitence during Rosh Hashanah.

 

Week One: Protecting

Operation Lifeshield

One way The Federation has demonstrated its commitment to its mission of ‘saving Jewish lives’ is by supporting projects like Operation Lifeshield.  This program provides Israel’s threatened communities with protected air raid shelters they so desperately need.  Through an Overseas Grant in 2014 for the project “Concrete Protection for Ashkelon Children,” The Jewish Federation invested in a large, double-portal, 70 ton Lifeshield shelter, capable of safely protecting over 60 students and staff during rocket attacks from Gaza. The school that received the new Lifeshield shelter is very unique.  Five days a week, children come from schools across Ashkelon to learn.

 

This is but one example of the many projects our Federation supports, and now that need is greater than ever. Between television, social media and internet coverage, we can all see, firsthand, the struggles that Israel faces every day and how its citizens so desperately need our help. Our Federation will continue to make contributions to assist Israeli citizens now and in the future. For more information about this project or other important initiatives we support, please contact Marty Haberer at 941.552.6303 or mhaberer@jfedsrq.org.

Learn about the numerous ways we help the community here.

To support the Federation via an online gift, click here.

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THE IMPACT OF A DONATION:

$18 Provides two meals for All Faiths Food Bank
$36  Provides PJ Library media
$75  Women’s Day Ticket
$118  Day of community education
$250  Trains EOD teacher
$500  Sends a kid to religious school
$750  Interfaith program in Sarasota-Manatee
$1,000  Grant for 1st year camper
$2,500  ‘No Place for Hate’ to one school
$6,000  Sends one student on March of the Living
$10,000  Brings Israeli culture to college campuses
$18,000  Holocaust staff JFCS
$25,000  Bomb shelter

 

A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION 
MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY 
CALLING TOLL-FREE 1-800-435-7352 WITHIN THE STATE.  
OUR REGISTRATION NUMBER IS SC-00449. REGISTRATION DOES NOT 
IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.

Mensch of the Month – Jesse Schein

The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee has been privileged to send hundreds of students on travel experiences that take them to Israel. Many of them return with a new profound outlook on their Jewish identity. This is certainly true for our Mensch of the Month, Jesse Schein.

Jesse is an outstanding student with a drive and a passion unlike most people his age. One of Federation’s first interactions with Jesse was when he became a Bob Malkin Young Ambassador in the summer of 2012, which takes high school students to Israel on a 2 week leadership mission. It seemed as if Jesse automatically fell in love with land, people, culture and even more so, his Jewishness. Since that time, Jesse has taken on many roles within our Jewish community, volunteering his time with us and Chabad in Lakewood Ranch. Most recently, Jesse returned from the March of the Living mission which has a heavy focus on Holocaust and genocide awareness. If Jesse’s past experiences didn’t fully impact him, this one surely did. It has been over a month since he returned from this journey and to see how much he has grown personally is incredible. Shabbat has become more important, family has become more important, and overall Jewish pride has become more important to Jesse.

It is because of this passion that Jesse has for his Jewish heritage that we selected him for Mensch of the Month for July. Jesse will be attending Florida Gulf Coast University in the fall and we know that this mensch will continue to be a powerful force in our community.

Mensch of the Month – Maya Danilowitz

Maya Danilowitz is a stellar young adult who has increasingly become involved in the Federation over the past year.  She moved to Sarasota 3 years ago from Richmond, Virginia, where she was working as an athletic trainer for Maccabi USA.  She is a licensed Massage Therapist and highly trained in CPR.

Maya first came to a Federation event when she stopped by the YAD booth at the Israel @ 65 Shuk. From there, the ball started rolling and she has become a member of the Young Adult giving society – The Ezra Society.  Her ties to the Jewish community run deep; as the daughter of an Israeli immigrant, she’s never far from anything that has to do with Jewish community building. Most recently, Maya traveled to New Orleans for the Jewish Federations of North America Young Adult conference called Tribefest. She was so energized by her time there meeting other young Jews and learning about creating an incredible Jewish community that she immediately asked to volunteer as one of our events when she returned.

This event is one reason why Maya is a mensch.  At one of the recent Keyboard Conversations performances, chaos ensued when man fell ill. She was the first to jump up and use her incredible skills to manage the situation and stabilize the man until emergency services arrived. She was calm, collected, and most importantly, a selfless mensch.  We are forever grateful to have this kind of young adult in our community and know that with people like her, our Jewish community will thrive for years to come.

Mensch of the Month – Ros Mazur

While participating in The Jewish Federation of North America’s Campaign Chairs and Directors Mission to Odessa, Ukraine, and Israel during July 2012, Ros Mazur was deeply moved by a visit with an elderly widow and Holocaust survivor who lives alone in Odessa for whom a luxury item is toilet paper. She also met “at-risk children and teens” attending a Jewish camp, discovering for the first time that they are Jewish. “While we can’t help every needy woman and child, we must continue to strive to help as many people as possible,” said Ros after she returned to Sarasota.

She vowed to find a way to make her dollars count to provide support for Jews in need worldwide. With Karen Bernstein, she founded and co-chaired Ma’agal Nashim, the Women’s Giving Circle, which would raise money to help women and children. Members of Ma’agal Nashim choose the beneficiaries of the funds. That dream came to fruition in March when Ma’agal Nashim granted $18,000 to organizations in Israel which will truly feel the impact of those dollars.

Ros is a member of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors. She is also the co-chair of Nashim L’Tovah, Federation’s women’s division, and serves on the Overseas Granting Committee. She has co-chaired the Jewish Book Festival and Women’s Passover Celebration, and has volunteered at many Federation events.

For these reasons and many more, we are thrilled to honor Ros as our Mensch of the Month for May.

Mensch of the Month – Roz Goldberg

It is difficult to put into words what Roz Goldberg means not only to our Federation but the Sarasota-Manatee community. While she is likely best known in our Jewish community as the chair for our annual Jewish Film Festival, now in its fifth year, Roz has been actively involved with our Federation for close to 10 years.  Currently, she holds the position of Parliamentarian and is a member of the board of directors and executive committee.  She has also served as chair of the investment committee and as a member of both the finance and policies and procedures committee. Roz is also an active member of several non-profit organizations, such as the Sarasota Film Festival and AIPAC.

Roz is one of Federation’s most dedicated volunteers.  In her role as the film festival chair, she personally screens upwards of 30 films each year and works with a committee to make the selections, but also writes articles, secures interesting guest speakers and even negotiates with producers and filmmakers to secure reasonable screening fees.  She is extremely hands-on and takes her role as chair very seriously.  Her hard work has paid off…the film festival is one of our Federation’s most successful programs, having attracted close to 1,000 participants in 2013.

We are thrilled to honor Roz as our Mensch of the Month for March!  Show your support for Roz by attending this year’s festival.

BBYO’s Super-Powered Convention

Members of Sarasota’s BBYO Chapter at the North Florida Regional Convention

The BBYO North Florida Region’s largest convention to date on the weekend of February 7-9 was a huge success! Teen educators, including Sarasota’s Erica Brown, taught BBYO history, rituals, songs and cheers, as well as the traditions of what it means to be an Aleph and a B’nai B’rith Girl. All new members received training and tools to give them a strong foundation to build their leadership development.  Current chapter board members participated in the LTI, leadership training institute, where in small groups, they compiled a list of skills they were experts in and taught them to the entire group. We recognized that by working together, playing to all of our strengths, we can grow our movement even stronger.

Beautiful services were led on Friday night and Saturday morning. Teen leaders’ thoughtful planning created a powerful experience around the themes of comic book heroes and Israeli heroes. Special guests included Eric Hunker, a talented Jewish song leader from Pennsylvania who travels world-wide bringing music and meaningful experiences to Jewish communities. Convention participants also participated in a service and philanthropy project: we worked on crafting superhero capes to donate to the Tampa General Hospital’s pediatric center and held a text-a-thon benefitting the Pediatric Cancer Foundation. We’re proud to announce we raised over $200 and donations are still coming in!

Overall the weekend was a fun and meaningful experience that our Sarasota chapter will remember forever.

Amanda Glucklich is Sarasota’s BBYO Advisor, a position funded by the Shapiro Teen Engagement Program (STEP) of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee.

Mensches of the Month – Howard and Naomi Adelman

Whenever our Jewish Federation is in need of volunteers, the Adelmans are there! Not only do Howard and Naomi offer to help with almost every Federation event, they do it with great enthusiasm and humility.

One of our most beloved biblical phrases is “Mah tovu o’halecha ya’akov mishkino techa yisroel,” which translated means, “how good are the tents of Jacob, the tabernacles of Israel…” What this means is that as Jews, we attempt to be “a light upon the nations.” Certainly the Adelmans are a light onto us and an example for all of us, teaching how to give back to others, how to volunteer and how to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Kim Mullins, Director of Operations at Federation, brags that “the Adelmans are wonderful volunteers!  They always arrive with smiles on their faces, ready to greet Federation’s guests.”

In addition to their incredible volunteerism with The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, Howard and Naomi are also very involved with many nonprofit organizations in our community. We couldn’t pick just one Mensch for January…these two are too great to separate! Thank you so much to Howard and Naomi Adelman for being the amazing Mensches that they are!