Students Partner with JFS of Metrowest, Helping Children in Need Get ‘Back to School’ Ready

A Great Success!

Rashi Middle School students stepped up in a big way this summer and volunteered to be Teen Leads in connection with Jewish Family Service (JFS) of Metrowest’s annual ‘Back to School Backpacking’ event.

Meeting virtually each week throughout the summer with Zach Blankstein (’13), amazing Rashi alum and intern at JFS of Metrowest, these middle schoolers rallied their family, friends, Rashi alums, and new Middle School students to come together and fill over 80 backpacks for children in need!

Kol Hakavod (all the honor) to our Teen Leaders: 

Jared B., Jacob D., Alexis F., Eli G., Ben G., Josie H., Ben M., and Hailey R.

And to our amazing group of student volunteers:

• Gabriella B. 
• Sam C.
• Hannah F.
• Austin F.
• Leila G. 
• Natalie G.
• Eva H.
• Naomi M.
• Maya P.

Reflections from our Middle School Teen Leads

Hello, my name is Ben and I am in the 8th grade. This summer a group of teenagers along with me worked with JFS of Metrowest on their annual build-a-backpack project. This project aims to provide 200 backpacks full of school supplies to kids in our community who need it most. Middle school, high school, and college students, from Rashi and the Greater Boston area were put to the task to collect school supplies and host gatherings to pack the backpacks. Some of us created Amazon wish lists and sent them out to friends and family so that they could donate supplies. We then invited some of our friends to a social distanced gathering in the Rashi parking lot to pack the backpacks.

Each person that came to the event brought a backpack and in total my group packed 25 backpacks. All together in the Boston area – over 300 backpacks were packed. This was truly an amazing experience for me, as I got to help other children by supplying them with school supplies. I also got to help set up the whole event, from collecting supplies, to packing the backpacks which was very special. We are all so glad that we got to work with JFS of Metrowest this summer and that we could help kids just like us go into school with a backpack full of the school supplies they need.”

The backpack initiative was very fun and empowering to take part in. We had to gather donations of school supplies from family and friends, and put together backpacks for children who are not fortunate enough to be able to buy school supplies. It was a big success and in the end we were able to make over twenty backpacks for children in need.

Thanks,

Eli G.

Hello, my name is Hailey and I am in the 7th grade. This summer I worked with JFS Metrowest on their annual build-a-backpack project.

This project aims to provide 200 backpacks full of school supplies to kids in our community who need it most. Middle school, high school, and college students, from Rashi and the Greater Boston area were put to the task to collect school supplies and host gatherings to pack the backpacks.

I created an Amazon wish list and sent it out to friends and family so that they could donate supplies. I then invited some of my friends to a social distanced gathering in the Rashi Parking Lot to pack the backpacks. Each person that came to my event brought a backpack and in total my friends and I packed 20 backpacks. I

’m so glad that I got to work with JFS Metrowest this summer and that I could help kids just like me go into school with a backpack full of the school supplies they need. 

We felt proud to help those in need and to be able to do something over the summer that would really matter to people. We also felt proud to get started working – even on zoom  – with older middle school students and their families.

Jared B. and Josie H.