Judy Brenner was honored for her work designing and managing 10 Jessie’s Community Gardens, which were founded by Dane Kostin (right) and his wife Michele, in honor of their daughter Jessica.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford honored 14 community volunteers at a special “thank you” event held on June 10 at Beth El Temple in West Hartford. “Federation relies on our partnership with volunteers who do vital work to build, repair and strengthen our community for the future,” said Cathrine Fischer Schwartz, then president and CEO of the Federation. “The work is crucial as to enabling our community to move forward.” The Federation’s volunteer ranks are growing, thanks to a new volunteer engagement program that aims to pair every volunteer with work that fits with their personal schedule and expertise. In the first half of this year, Federation has connected more than 200 community members with volunteer work as varied as helping to create academic research partnerships with Israel, to helping ready 10 community gardens for the growing season, during which thousands of pounds of fresh produce is delivered to area food pantries.