How can a young person make a positive difference in the world during a time of pandemic?

That was the question two West Hartford boys asked themselves as each individually mulled over ideas for suitable “mitzvah projects” to engage in as they prepared to celebrate becoming bar mitzvah. 

“My son, Adam, initially wanted to do something related to baseball,” says Monica Gold, “but when the season was canceled because of the coronavirus, Adam had to really think outside the box. He got an idea from my sister, Robin, who lives in New Jersey, who had purchased a set of ‘happy birthday’ lawn letters and was setting them up at her oldest son’s best friend’s house as he was the first birthday being celebrated during the quarantine with a drive-by birthday parade. We realized that not only was this a beautiful way to recognize someone’s birthday during this time but, by renting out the letters, we could raise money for an important cause.”

Before long, Adam and his family were “renting” the birthday lawn letters for $25 a pop, setting them up on the recipients’ lawns after dark so that they would wake up to a welcome surprise. All proceeds were donated to the West Hartford Food Pantry and Jewish Family Services Anja Rosenberg Kosher Food Pantry.

Kicked off on Memorial Day via social media, the signs became so popular that the Gold family eventually purchased three sets of birthday letters and one set of Mazel Tov letters. Adam had 50 booking in June and donated a split of the $1400 to both food pantries. By mid-June, he had more than close to 60 book scheduled for the remainder of the summer.

“It has been so amazing knowing that people that don’t have food are now able to get the food that they need because of the money that I’ve raised,” says Adam, who will celebrate his bar mitzvah later this year. 

The true impact of his mitzvah hit Adam when he handed over the first checks to the two food pantries, says his mother. “Adam had no idea how many people come through the food pantries each week and how much he will help those with food insecurities,” she says.

Like Adam, Zach Gerken also had something sports-related in mind for his bar mitzvah project. Then earlier this year, his mother Jonna Gerken noticed a sign for a sneaker collection tacked to a board at the Mandell JCC in West Hartford. Monies collected from sale of the sneakers would benefit the Jessie’s Community Garden initiative, which honors the life of Jessica Lynn Kostin who died unexpectedly in 2010. 

“We decided this was a win-win,” says Jonna. “I had hoped Zach would gain some humility in 

realizing how much we have and how such a seemingly small mitzvah could have such a large impact.”

There are 16 Jessie’s Community Gardens in Greater Hartford, each one donating at least 75% of produce harvested to local organizations, such as food pantries.

“I was amazed and humbled by the generosity of all our neighbors, friends and strangers,” says Jonna. “I’m still getting messages wondering if we are collecting.”

The sneaker collection was initiated by PJ Library of Greater Hartford as part of the JCC’s ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recyle’ Tu Bishvat service project, working with ‘Got Sneakers’ recycling organization.

“It was a good project,” says Zach, who collected more than 120 pairs of sneakers, “because we are helping people and the earth, keeping the sneakers out of landfills.”

Zach, who was to have celebrated becoming a bar mitzvah this past May, will mark the occasion via Zoom this summer.

Main Photo: Zach Gerkin shows off some of the sneakers he collected for his bar mitzvah project.