Bake Sale: Inspired by the Mitzvah Man

The Mitzvah Man caught our daughter’s attention when she read about his volunteers visiting elderly people. The more she and her friends read about the Mitzvah Man, the more they wanted to be a part of the hesed.

When she and her friends, five 6th grade girls, decided to have a bake sale for the Mitzvah Man, their five mothers were quite skeptical. How could they organize, raise money for and promote a bake sale all by themselves? The mothers supported their daughters whole heartedly, but made it clear that the girls had to manage and arrange all the details by themselves.

They immediately got to work.  Barbara Beyda, Margo Dweck, Salma Falah, Sarah Horowitz and Rose Sabbagh were determined and focused. They divided up the responsibilities and each had a task to fulfill. They solicited and committed store owners and started building their packages. Simultaneously, they organized a Monopoly tournament in Deal.

The mothers watched the girls work. When the first store owner said yes, agreeing to donate, the girls smiled from ear to ear. Giving them encouragement and confidence to continue, they couldn’t wait to go to the next store.

It was amazing to watch the tournament and packages come together. They enticed other children to play by offering an iPad as the grand prize.

As the day quickly approached, the baking began and the excitement mounted. The mothers saw all the girls’ hard work and dedication paying off. The texts and email blasts were sent out. and when the Sunday morning of the bake sale and tournament finally arrived, there were so many baked goods there wasn’t room for all of them. When the children started arriving, the girls were amazed that everything really came together. The games started and continued throughout the day.

At times, the house was so crowded they couldn’t believe their eyes. As the day wound down, winners had won, cookies and cakes had been sold, but most importantly all the children saw firsthand what they could accomplish if they committed and set their minds on a goal.

No matter how young or old you are, anything is possible. We hope that this day will inspire more children to do acts of hesed, like the Mitzvah Man.

Congratulations to the winners: Ezra Azizo, Barbara Beyda, Abraham Jemal, Jake Shams and Abie Horowitz. Thank you to all the stores that contributed, all the bakers that baked, and all the supporters of this truly inspiring day.