Chanukah Toy Drive Brings Holiday Cheer to Hundreds of Jewish Children in Miami

Bonnie Schwartzbaum, JCS Kosher Food Bank Director

There will be smiles on the faces of hundreds of Jewish children this Chanukah, thanks to the generosity of local families who donated gifts to the annual Greater Miami Jewish Federation's Toy Drive organized by Federation's North Dade Branch.

More than 500 gifts were donated, and will be given to children whose families receive other assistance from the JCS Kosher Food Bank. The Food Bank is operated year-round by Jewish Community Services (JCS) of South Florida, which receives annual funding from the Federation/UJA Campaign. It offers families in need the opportunity to shop for groceries and other basic supplies by appointment, thus ensuring clients’ privacy and dignity. Prior to the beginning of the school year and holidays, efforts are made to provide extra items to help struggling families feel a sense of normalcy.

The toy drive was introduced in 2013 as part of the Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center’s Maccabi Games. Competing teams were invited to donate Chanukah gifts for local children, with the most successful team receiving “mitzvah points” in addition to the points won for their athletic achievements.

This year, competitors and spectators alike were urged to bring unwrapped gifts for children to the Maccabi Games on November 22 and 23, and deliver them to Federation’s Hospitality Tent on the JCC grounds. With further coordination by the North Dade Branch, each gift in the mountain of toys was then wrapped by a teenaged volunteer and delivered to JCS for distribution.

For more information about the North Dade Branch of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, contact Adam Kolett at 305.705.0800 or [email protected]. To learn more about programs funded by the Annual Greater Miami Jewish Federation/UJA Campaign, click here.