Bergenfield—During the Sukkot vacation, and in the weeks following, young ladies in the Bergenfield area found opportunities to involve themselves and their friends in community activities. On Sunday October 18, Elisheva Kelsen and Mali Epstein, two fifth graders at the Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey, reached out to neighbors with young kids, inviting them to come play at a backyard carnival. The catch? All the money raised went to Tomchei Shabbos. Kelsen and Epstein were no strangers to fundraising. “In the summer we decided to sell popcorn to raise money for Tomchei Shabbos,” explained Epstein in an interview with the Jewish Link. “It was fun so we decided to do something else,” she said. They even recruited a third friend, Shira Kroopnick. “A lot of neighbors came, which made us feel happy,” added Kelsen. Both girls expressed appreciation to their parents for their help shopping, hosting and manning the booths.

Tomchei Shabbos of Bergen County is a volunteer organization that packs and distributes meals for Shabbos and Yom tov to Jewish families undergoing financial hardships. They depend predominantly on local support, both financially and for manpower. Community members pack, deliver, and work with food suppliers to obtain materials for their Shabbos packages.

With so many local organizations, Kelsen and Epstein had many choices for their carnival funds. “We chose Tomchei Shabbos because it helps a lot of people by giving food for Shabbos,” Kelsen explained.

By Jenny Gans