Donating full-heartedly
It began with a lesson from Temple Sholom Hebrew School Director Hindi Potok.
Zachary Feldman thought about the message being conveyed - that it is one of the 613 commandments to give to help others less fortunate. And what is the "suggested amount?" Zach explained that it is 10 percent. And after his bar mitzvah, he decided that he wanted to make that kind of generous contribution from financial gifts he had been given to celebrate this special occasion in his life.
Zach's mother, Jeanmarie Feldman, administrative assistant at JFS of Somerset, Hunterdon, and Warren Counties, had been telling her family about the kinds of programs offered through JFS. Zach was particularly interested in the Family Mentor Program, where volunteers are recruited and trained and then matched with families in Somerset County. She had explained to Zach that the families receiving services are looking for support and caring - someone who could be a good listener and help them during some hard times. Some of those families have children with special needs.
Zach decided that this was where he wanted his money to go. Zach's gift will help purchase items or resources to meet a family's unique needs. His extraordinary willingness to give so generously to others was deserving of recognition. "What works so well in the Family Mentor Program," stated Program Coordinator Ruth Edelman, "is the knowledge the families have that the program operates as a free service to families because of caring volunteers who give of their time, and from a variety of funding sources which support the program's operation. Our volunteers often have experienced caring from someone else in their lives when they needed it the most." They and Zach both understand the mitzvah of giving. And the giving of tzedakah has a way of multiplying. Zach's gift will help purchase items or resources to meet a family's unique needs.
Local bar mitzvah boy leads by example
Jacob Kupserberg of Toms River, who became a bar mitzvah on June 20, donated a $1,000 on Oct. 10, to the Ocean County Hunger Relief organization. Ocean County Hunger Relief Executive Director Carol Latif, who has worked there for seven years, said she received a card with a $1,000 check from Jacob Kupserberg that said the following:
Dear Ocean County Hunger Relief, My name is Jacob Kupsurberg and I am donating $1000 to your organization. This money is coming from the gifts I received for my bar mitzvah. Someone gave me the idea to donate a portion of my bar mitzvah gifts to charity. I told my parents and we began to think of different charities. Eventually my mom thought of the Ocean County Hunger Relief. I decided that I would choose that charity because it has some importance in my life. Ever since I became a Boy Scout, I have volunteered whenever we did a food drive for the Ocean County Hunger Relief. I plan on volunteering in future drives to come. I believe that everyone should be able to have enough to eat or be able to feed their families. Though some people may not know it, there are many people who cannot do these things. I hope this donation will help many people in need.
"I was crying when I read it," Latif said. "It really touched my heart."
Latif said Kupsurberg should be honored for such an immense act of charity.
"It was really special," Latif said. "I could feel his sincerity, I was in awe. I think it's phenomenal and he's a special person. No one that young has ever donated that much."
Latif said she typically attempts to get wealthy people who have their future set and have money to spare to donate money, but they often don't. However, Jacob - a teenager - sacrificed money for his future and put it toward a good cause.
"I wish that there were more people like him," she said.
He has a bright future, Latif said.
"He's selfless, while most people are self-centered," she said. "We need role models and he's a role model for other people." Ocean County Hunger Relief is a non-profit organization established in 1981 that serves 35 food pantries throughout Ocean County. The organization has more than 300 volunteers that assist in providing food for needy families throughout Ocean County.
"I thought it would be a cool thing to do," Jacob said about his gift. "I got a lot of money for my bar mitzvah, I didn't need to put it all in the bank, and I thought I could give it someone who needs it."
He said his family is very proud that he donated the money. He said the Boy Scouts would put bags in front of people's houses with instructions to put food for the Ocean County Hunger Relief in them, and then the Scouts would return after the bags were filled and take them to Hunger Relief.
"There are people out there that are less fortunate than you," he said.
Jacob said not only did his parents support him in donating the money to an organization, but specifically to this one.
"My parents thought the charity was good because it correlates with the Boy Scouts," he said.
Donating the money to Ocean County Hunger Relief reinforced the fact that people need to be generous and help those in-need, Jacob said.
"I felt really good after I got the food bank's director's letter back," he said. "It made me feel really really good inside that I was helping people."
- Jason Cohen