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Community Corner

Jewish Relief Agency Needs Help Making LemonAID

On December 8th, the Jewish Relief Agency (JRA) was scheduled to mark its 13th year of service with a milestone "Bar Mitzvah" celebration and fundraising dinner. After months of planning, the hall was set, the food was cooked, over 500 guests were readying to join them - and then the snow began. The roads became treacherous and they made the torturous (but right) decision to cancel the event. 

The JRA leadership and and the patriarch of the honoree family, Mark Rabinowitz, were already on hand at the Valley Forge Sheraton. They mourned the moment, celebrated each other and their hard work, and then began the plan to turn lemons into lemonAID. Because of this storm, Philadelphia declared a "code blue." All homeless were brought off the streets and shelters suddenly were packed with hungry mouths to feed. JRA got on the phone, made a meaningful connection and did what they do best...packed the food and delivered it to those in need. 

But now they need the community's help raising the money they weren't able to raise at the fundraiser because of the snow.  They had planned to raffle off a car along with other silent auction items.  Everyone is now invited to participate in an online auction here: www.MakingLemonAID.org.  It closes on Thursday, so please help get the word out.

A little about the JRA: founded by Philadelphia brothers Marc and Daniel Erlbaum, it delivers 34,000 boxes of food to families in the area, including Cherry Hill, annually and has become the largest hunger relief agency serving our region’s Jewish community.  
Those that want to volunteer with JRA this Sunday to pack boxes of food are welcome: 10:30 am at 10980 Dutton Road, Philadelphia, PA.  

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