Since 2015, Har Sinai-Oheb Shalom Congregation members have been meeting together on weekends to pack bags full of food for vulnerable school children in Baltimore. The synagogue partners with a 501(c)(3) called Weekend Backpacks, which held one of its usual events on April 26.
But this session was different.
During the event, volunteers packed and sent off the program’s one millionth meal — a milestone that Maxine Lowy, Weekend Backpacks’ treasurer, called “really fulfilling.”
“I was there when they packed the first meal. A million meals, it’s a huge number, and you realize that if you save a life, you save the world. And we never know what that child who’s getting that millionth meal is going to do going forward,” she said. “So it’s been a wonderful program. The beauty is that we see the same enthusiasm today that we saw almost 10 years ago when we first brought the program. The same people are there, packing and drinking a cup of coffee and creating a community of people that are just making the world better. And there’s no better feeling.”
In 2015, synagogue members were surveyed and said that they wanted to create a multi-generational project in the spirit of tikkun olam. The idea was for something that family members could join together to do, and younger people could one day take part in when they had families of their own.
“We’re not doing enough to teach our grandchildren the Jewish values that we want them to have,” said Lowy, recalling the conversations at the time. “We were familiar with Weekend Backpacks, so we decided instead of reinventing the wheel, that we would just go with an already invented wheel, and we took Weekend Backpacks to the temple.”
Har Sinai-Oheb Shalom trustee and program organizer Jeffrey Barnett said that the program is designed to fill in the gaps for students who largely rely on their schools for food.
“[Students] get free breakfast and lunch during weekdays, but then on weekends and school breaks, are often without food. And so our congregation packs 600 bags of food per month, and we deliver directly to those 15 schools once a month,” he said.
The program as a whole, outside of just the synagogue, delivers 2,000 bags of food to 50 Baltimore City schools every week of the school year. It was an immediate success at Har Sinai-Oheb Shalom, with members leaping at the chance to participate and spend quality time with loved ones while also contributing to something greater than themselves.
“This was the perfect kind of project for grandparents and parents and children to get involved with, go to pack, to learn about food insecurity in our community that a lot of our children were totally unaware of,” Lowy said. “And we love the idea that we were teaching kids about tikkun olam, about making the world a better place, repairing the world and doing it in a way that they could come with their friends, with their families, and teaching Jewish values that are very important.”
Even so, it wasn’t necessarily a sure thing from the start. As with any project, Barnett said that Weekend Backpacks had humble beginnings.
“We did our first packing, and we didn’t really envision where it would lead, or even how long it would last, because [with] so many projects, you never know. Will this be successful? Will it be well received?” he said.
The answer, it turned out, would be “yes.”
Packing sessions are purposely scheduled on weekends, but at a time when religious school kids can attend to maximize attendance. For younger members, the meaning behind the work is stressed, so that they know not just what they’re doing, but why they’re doing it.
“We always try and explain to them the importance of what they’re doing, and they get it. They make a game out of it — they like to run down the assembly line and see how fast they can pack the bags. One friend will hold the bag and one friend will put the food in. They’re really creating a community of young people who understand,” Lowy said.
She added that this isn’t just something she observes in other families — it’s something that her own loved ones experience, too.
“I have young grandchildren, and they love to come with me and pack and empty the truck, and they really understand what it is that they’re doing and the difference that they’re making,” she said.
Some families have even held their own fundraisers on the side, with proceeds going to the backpacks program. Bake sales, walk-a-thons, and even novelty ideas like unicycle rides have taken place to raise funds.
At Har Sinai-Oheb Shalom, the Weekend Backpacks program has become an essential part of the community. People take part, and when they aren’t taking part, they get ready to do it again.
“They look forward to it,” Lowy said.
For Barnett, 1 million meals is an amazing milestone, but the goal is to pack many, many more.
“It’s just a very tangible, direct way of making a difference, impacting people’s lives, helping those in need,” he said. “And it’s just so consistent with this Jewish value of tikkun olam, of helping to heal the world, and it’s going really strong. And there’s no end in sight. Our plan is to continue it as long as the need is there.”
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