Hoffman Estates temple donates school supplies to area students

Members of the Beth Tikvah Congregation in Hoffman Estates donated more than 1,000 school supplies to students in Palatine Elementary School District 15 and at Perry Elementary School in Carpentersville.

The congregants brought the donations to the temple's annual picnic Aug. 14, and then the items were organized and delivered to the schools by members of the temple's Social Action Committee.

The donations included 100 boxes each of pencils, markers and crayons; 500 pencils; 200 pens; 200 spiral notebooks; 100 folders, reams of paper, construction paper and lined paper; dozens of backpacks; and 50 boxes of Kleenex, hand sanitizer and wet wipes.

Additionally, temple members supplied new boys' and girls' underwear, socks, sweatshirts and flannel shirts.

Social Action Committee co-chair Becky Fiedler said her car was packed so full with donated backpacks that they spilled out when she opened her trunk.

The District 15 coordinator told Fiedler she was thrilled to be able to invite students to come "shop" from the donated supplies.

The reaction was similar at Perry Elementary School, where Beth Tikvah Co-Principal Mandy Thalhammer works as a teacher. Social Action Committee co-chair Juliet Shavitz said the teachers seemed especially excited about all of the pencil boxes being donated.

In the past, Beth Tikvah's Social Action Committee has donated school supplies to WINGS and Maryville Academy. However, this is the first time the temple has held a school supplies drive for local public schools.

Beth Tikvah's Social Action Committee does a variety of activities to help people in the community. It fulfills the commandment of Tikun Olam (repairing the world) and practice G'milut Chasadim (doing deeds of loving kindness).

For information, visit www.beth-tikvah.org/social-action-committee.