Blessings In A Box

Summer Faerman remembers the day a woman was reduced to tears by little more than a block of Velveeta cheese and a box of pasta. 

“She was so excited to be able to make mac and cheese,” says Faerman, who started B’nai Torah’s TLC Little Free Pantry. Through the program, those who need food can take from the pantry while others who have food can give.

Boca Raton philanthropists Marilyn and Jack Pechter recently agreed to sponsor the project in honor of their late grandson, Charlie Himmelrich. It is being renamed the Charlie Fund Little Free Pantry. 

“Charlie was a gift to the world, and he was always making a difference to his family friends and world,” according to the Pechters.

Faerman was running the congregation’s Ron and Meryl Gallatin Tzedakah, Learning and Chesed (TLC) Program, created to teach people of all ages the core Jewish value of “tzedakah,” or how to make a difference in the lives of others through mitzvahs, or good deeds.

When the pandemic hit, she had to find a way to keep TLC going. “Everyone was able to pivot and go on to Zoom, how was I supposed to do that?” she asks. The idea came to her during a walk with a friend. She spotted a Little Free Library, a small box where people are encouraged to give or take a book.

“I said, ‘Why can’t I have one for food?’ My friend said, ‘I think my husband can build one for you.’ One turned into 52 and it made such a huge difference,” says Faerman.

That was in August 2020. Today, there are 37 in the tri-county area, 10 in Orlando and five in the Panhandle. The pantries are built by volunteers and painted by artists who donate their talents. They are in houses of worship, schools, low-income neighborhoods and at nonprofits, among other locations.

Donations of non-perishable items like shelf-stable milk, canned meats, paper products and condiments are in high demand. They even offer hygiene items or socks when there is a cold snap. The need is great — you don’t need to be a member of the B’nai Torah Congregation to help. 

“I was on the phone with a pantry in Margate and they said they can’t keep the pantry full; they fill it 6 times a day,” Faerman says.

For more information, visit btcboca.org/littlefreepantry.