Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

There are more than 2,000 homeless families and individuals in the city of Gainesville, and just a few short weeks ago, UF Hillel in collaboration with Jewish Student Union, celebrated the Jewish holiday of Sukkot by making bagged meals to help feed the hungry and the homeless at Gainesville's local shelter, St. Francis House.

UF Hillel started off the holiday season by giving back to the community they call home with an event called 'Harvest For The Hungry'. With an influx of volunteers, students came together as a community to help those less fortunate.

Rachel Reindl, the nonprofit intern at UF Hillel said, "Food is a huge part of Sukkot and Jewish culture, so I think it is extremely fitting for us to provide meals to those who are in need. It was such a great opportunity for UF Hillel to partner with JSU and St. Francis House to strengthen our commitment and impact on the local community of Gainesville." Reindl went on to say, "We made about 200 bag lunches in one day. We owe our success to the 70 students from the University of Florida and Santa Fe who came out. We couldn't have done it without them!"

Rabbi Adam Grossman, CEO of UF Hillel said, "In Judaism we like to call it 'tikkun olam,' repairing the world. The Torah repeatedly expresses the obligation to help those who, for whatever reason, could not help themselves. The students at UF Hillel and Santa Fe have a passion for helping others. I am beyond proud of them for all of the work they have done and I am very satisfied with the outcome from the event."

Grossman further stated, "At UF Hillel we envision a world made better because of the impact of our future leaders. We believe the way to engage emerging leaders is through their interests in career, travel, and social good. In the end, we want our students to find a greater purpose in life, we want them to strive, and most importantly, we want them to experience."