SEAD Volunteers Prepared and Sold 2,300 Purim Packages In 2 Weeks. Being at the helm of SEAD for over 13 years now, I can tell you that it’s not always easy getting people involved. But, every now and then something amazing happens that reminds me how good people can be. It all started one night when Steve Shalom, who is now my partner in this wonderful institution, and Doris Dwek helped organize a meeting of community members in Deal interested in joining our mission. The meeting was a huge success and that night, many volunteers came forward.
Immediately a group of ladies, chaired by Heather Ades, Linda Hakim, Grace Shalom, and Shari Sutton started a project for Purim. It was truly awe inspiring. Even with all the other mashloah manot being promoted in the community, they came up with a unique concept that made our mashloah manot truly “one of a kind.”
With over 24 volunteers, this creative, hardworking and dedicated committee formed a warehouse and assembly line in Heather and Abie Ades’ home making packages to benefit the children of SEAD.
They did this for weeks, despite the freezing temperatures and snowy days. This remarkable group of women accomplished the amazing task of creating over 40 different varieties of mashloach manot.
They were the driving force behind the buying, assembly and sales for the project. Attention to detail was evident and each basket was beautifully wrapped and ribboned. Pretty soon, the word got out that our school was selling mashloach manot to benefit the students. Day in and day out, community people came to purchase packages for their children. Every effort was made to ensure that in each grade, there would not be a child with the same basket. Together, this talented group of women succeeded in selling over 2,300 packages in just 2 weeks.
In fact, they were so successful; they even sent baskets to Brooklyn to accommodate community members there! They could not have done it without the help of Terri Cohen, Stephanie Dweck, and Sophia Serouya.
A special thanks to Heather and Abie Ades for graciously opening their home—day and night—to these women. Every day, the volunteers were greeted with a smile and a delicious breakfast and lunch to boot. Looking back, I truly applaud our hosts for putting up with the mess and chaos involved in such a massive undertaking.
To all our wonderful volunteers, we can’t thank you enough for your unwavering dedication to not only this project, but to our organization as well. I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of support each of you brought and continue to bring every day to the future of our organization.
You are all role models who represent what the true spirit of what the power of hesed is all about.
Be on the lookout for many more exciting events this summer.
