The Great
Purim Parcel
Project's packets
of treats extend
community
goodwill.
SHARON LUCKERMAN
Staff Writer
n
arold Folkoff, 50, of Oak
Park found great satisfac-
tion in stuffing large plastic
bags with dozens of deco-
rative parcels at this year's Great Purim
Parcel Project.
ng to do the
"It doesn't cost an
work and I'm giving something to the
community while they're giving so
much to me," says Folkoff, who has
participated in the project for 11 years.
"It shows me that the community
cares.
This year, more than 250 volun-
teers came to make Purim parcels Feb.
17 at the Max M. Fisher Federation
Building in Bloomfield. Townskip —
many more than expected, says
Debbie Rosenberg, program coordina-
tor of Jewish Experiences For Families
(JEFF), a division of the Agency for
Jewish Education (AJE). JEFF spon-
sored the event along with the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit
"
Six-year-old Jalen Raines and his father, Roy, West
Bloomfield residents, work together to wrap parcels.
chavurah (Jewish
enrichment) groups
and young people
doing b'nai mitzvah
projects gather to put
together the Purim
parcels. Some sit
around long tables
covered with haman-
tashen, granola bars,
fruit roll-ups, candy
and raisins. While
they fill parcels with
food,
others add
Sophie Orbach, 11, of Huntington Woods assembles a
homemade
cards and
Purim parcel.
flyers that explain
Purim. Still others
wrap the packages
and the Jewish News.
with cellophane and add stickers and
"Thanks to the community, this
ribbons.
program has gone from touching 100
Josh Rollins, 14, of Farmington
people 15 years ago to 3,000 today,"
Hills
places stickers on packages. He
says Gail Greenberg, also a JEFF coor-
came with his chavurah group that
dinator.
includes Lesley Jacobowitz, 12, of West
At the event, families, friends,
Bloomfield sitting next to him, cutting
ribbons.
Josh says he's here "to help others
less fortunate. And its fun — and a lot
of work," he adds jokingly.
Lesley is participating as part of her
bat mitzvah project. Sophie Orbach,
11, of Huntington Woods learned
about the need for this program from
her grandmother, who volunteers for
Meals on Wheels.
"People who can't get around and
want to celebrate Purim at their house
look forward to these packages," she
says.
In another area, Rabbi Adam
Chalom of the Birmingham Temple
delivers a large bag with 75 parcels,
made by his Sunday school's grade 2-4
students. "The project is a community
project that is helping people in a
Jewish way," he says.
"What's exciting this year about the
project," says Rabbi Judah Isaacs,
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2/22
2002
49