Students Prepare Baskets for Needy

Gray skies and the threat of rain Tuesday did not dampen the Thanksgiving spirit at Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School in Northridge.

Students of the Jewish school assembled their annual Thanksgiving baskets during the morning hours, readying them for delivery to the Family Violence Project in Van Nuys.

Filled with turkeys, vegetables, stuffing, fruits and other items to make a traditional Thanksgiving meal, the baskets represent an extension of the year-round philosophy of giving that has been the foundation of the school since its inception in 1972, said school founder and Principal Shirley G. Levine.

“We do a lot of outreach here because it’s important for children to understand and be aware of people out there that aren’t as fortunate,” Levine said. “The Thanksgiving outreach, which we’ve done for the past 10 years, is just one activity that the children enjoy doing.”

Each student is asked to bring in a food item along with $2 toward buying turkeys, said Nancy Field, event coordinator.

The baskets, decorated with turkey ornaments made of pine cones and ribbons, will be delivered by parents to the Family Violence Project, where they will be distributed to needy families, said Field, who added that each of the 27 classes at Heschel is helping a Los Angeles-area family.

This is the fourth consecutive Thanksgiving that families represented by the Family Violence Project have benefited from Heschel’s annual event, organizers said.

Prior to that, Heschel students and their families hand-delivered the baskets to individual homes, retirement homes, homeless organizations and missions, Levine said.

“We try to do something for the community and are here to help in any way we can, not just for the Jewish community, but for any group that needs our help,” Levine said.