To Life!

Spotlight

Fighting For A Cause

Food pantry benefits from exhibition of kicks and fists.

S

ome serious kicks and punches were thrown
at Detroit Country Day School in Beverly
Hills with the goal of -knocking out hunger.
Dozens of families took part in self-defense,
kickboxing and yoga classes and also watched real
boxers duke it out in a sanctioned boxing exhibi-
tion.
Paula Brickner, 16, of West
Bloomfield looked tough with
her fists ready as she learned
some techniques from personal
trainer Julian Loredo of
Powerhouse Gym.
Howard Guttman of
Southfield sat in the stands
watching punches fly. "I've
ROBIN
never seen a live boxing match
S CHWARTZ before. I think it's very interest-
Columnist
ing," he said.
The event helped raise money
for Yad Ezra, Michigan's only kosher food pantry.
The Berkley-based agency provides groceries to -
about 1,200 local Jewish families every month.
"So many people don't realize because they have
all this food on their table every night for dinner;
there are plenty of people who don't," said Yad
Ezra Vice President June Stillman of West

Bloomfield.
A basket containing cereal, pasta,
eggs, peanut butter and jelly,
canned vegetables and other essen-
tials like toothpaste and paper
goods was on display to show what
a family of two typically gets dur-
ing a visit to the food pantry.
"A lot of our clients who are
older people have to make a choice
between medication and food,"
Stillman said.
More than 60 local businesses
also donated items for a silent auction to help
raise money.
"I feel like Yad Ezra just gets to the basic needs
of any charity — food — you really can't get
more basic than that," said Nancy Kleinfeldt of
Southfield, one of the event's co-chairs.
Also spotted working to knock out hunger at
the May 22 event were: co-chair Allan Sefton of
Beverly Hills, Jeff and Amy Schlussel of
Huntington Woods, Steve Oshinsky of West
Bloomfield and Richard Simtob, Monica
Brockmeyer and Ken Bernard, all of Farmington
Hills.

Paula Brickner, 16, Jennifer Finkel, 11, and Stacy
Indianer, 10, all of West Bloomfield, knock out hunger.

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• '84I„i

Right: Monica
Brockmeyer and
Ken Bernard of
Farmington Hills
check out the
silent auction.

Above: Katie Miller, 10, of West
Bloomfield, Lauren Gui, 10, of Franklin
and Rochie Rubin, 6, of Toledo do some
kickboxing.

Left: Evan and Blake Israel, ages 3 and
5, of Franklin and Nick Bellinson, 5, of
Birmingham looking tough.

Right: Yad Ezra Vice President
June Stillman of West
Bloomfield spars with trainer
Julian Loredo.

Left: A typical Yad
Ezra distribution
for a family of two.

6/ 2
2005

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