By Stephanie Smartschan
JFLV Director of Marketing

Volunteers from the Young Adult Division of the Jewish Federation came together with Jewish Family Service on March 18 for a mitzvah project to benefit older adults.

They sliced cucumbers and tomatoes for a simple salad, layered noodles, sauce and cheese for lasagna, blanched green beans for a side and filled and folded hamentaschen for dessert. A fresh tuna salad and challah roll accounted for the following day’s lunch.

Together, the volunteers prepared 40 “Mazel Meals” to be delivered to older adults across the Lehigh Valley.

“What you’re doing is a really big deal because there is nothing like a home-cooked meal to make someone feel loved and remembered,” Chelsea Karp, volunteer coordinator for JFS, told the volunteers.

The following morning, a new group of volunteers arrived at JFS to pick up the meals and bring them out for delivery in Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton.

Heading out with bags packed full of the Purim meals in hand, the delivery drivers dispersed in batches from JFS. One Allentown recipient, Dolores, praised the Mazel Meals program, saying “I’ve lived in a lot of different communities, and this one really cares. I think that the Jewish community in the Lehigh Valley is special in that it is really cognizant of the older people and makes such an effort to look after them.”

“The Young Adult Division was proud to partner with JFS to perform such an important act of kindness in our community,” said Aaron Gorodzinsky, director of outreach and community relations for the Federation. “We look forward to future mitzvah project opportunities.”

Is your group or organization interested in partnering with Jewish Family Service to prepare Mazel Meals? Contact Chelsea Karp at 610-821-8722 or ckarp@jfslv.org to learn more.