For many of us, nothing in the news has been more disturbing than the scandal coming out of Penn State. Our friend, Rabbi Adam Feldman of the Princeton (NJ)Jewish Center, spoke of that tragedy a few weeks ago during his Shabbat sermon. Rabbi Feldman reminded his congregation of "how people in authority need to be responsible for their actions especially when they have the lives of young people in their hands."

Sitting in the pews that morning was Gil Gordon, a congregant who accompanied Rabbi Feldman and others on an Israel trip a few years ago. For that trip we arranged a meeting with Yitz Feigenbaum who co-runs Beit Hayeled, the group home that provides safe haven and love for kids removed from abusive homes by the court system. The Princeton community has interacted with Beit Hayeled on other occasions but Gil felt that one very powerful antidote to the tragedy of Penn State would be to tell the entire congregation about Beit Hayeled’s beautiful work with abused kids and request donations for Hanukkah gifts for the kids.

This morning we heard from Rabbi Feldman who shared this story as well as the good news that his congregants had contributed more than $3500 to the effort. As he wrote, "With Chanukah approaching, we have an excellent opportunity to make life a bit brighter for these fragile children whose lives are being put back in order at Bet HaYeled."

We could not agree more! Yasher koach to everyone at Princeton Jewish Center. The Good People Fund is pleased to act as the shaliach in this very special tzedakah mission.

Another morning, another phone call…

The military advocate who called this morning was at first hesitant as she shared her story. Perhaps she doubted that we would be able to help, despite a mutual contact who urged her to call…The story she shared was of a retired decorated soldier who sustained serious injuries in Iraq when a grenade bounced off his tank and fell into the turret, killing one soldier and wounding him and two others. After extensive treatment for his injuries which included traumatic brain injury and PTSD, our soldier opted to leave the military and embark upon a civilian life. By all accounts, things were reasonably stable, despite the long-standing effects of his injuries…until now. Recently his personal life began to fall apart (not an unusual result of such serious war injuries) and our contact reported that this retired soldier had no heat in his home. With an outstanding balance owed the fuel company and limited funds it looked as if he would spend the snowy Western winter without heat. When we called the fuel company they promised that if the new delivery was paid for, they would deliver today to insure a warm Thanksgiving holiday for the family. Thanks to our generous donors the Good People Fund was able to cover the cost of a new tank of propane which should provide four months of heat for this dedicated veteran.

It’s those early morning calls that really inspire us and make us work even harder on behalf of our many good people, quietly going about their business changing lives for the better.

This morning’s call came from Ranya Kelly, founder of the Redistribution Center in Colorado. Ranya’s organization has rescued, since its founding, over 700,000 pairs of new shoes and millions of dollars worth of brand new, perfectly usable clothing, bedding, food, building supplies and more from local and national retail outlets. What was destined for a landfill is now filling the needs of impoverished people not only in the Denver area but also other parts of the United States.

Ranya wanted to check in before Thanksgiving to say thank you for what we do for her and her work. She casually mentioned that yesterday she got a call from a local meat purveyor that was going out of business. If she could get to them, she was welcome to 7 pallets of fresh meat…steaks, roasts–all normally sold to the finest restaurants.

Needless to say, Ranya rented a truck, picked up the meat and delivered it to local agencies that distribute food to hungry people. Ranya says that fresh meat is as difficult to come by as fresh produce–a welcome gift.

Last month we shared the story of Eli* and Isaac*, one of the "pairs" arranged by Big Brothers, Big Sisters Israel. Isaac is a young Ethiopian boy being raised by a single Mom. Despite many learning difficulties he is smart, positive and charismatic. When tested, it was apparent that dyslexia was causing his school difficulties. With Eli’s (his big brother) support and regular tutoring everyone hoped that Isaac would overcome the disability and succeed in school.

When the Good People Fund committed to funding a tutor we too hoped that changes would come. We never expected the great news we received this morning when Eli wrote to give us an update…

I’m glad to inform you that Isaac started the year with great progress, and his school is starting a process of fully integrating him in a regular class. I can tell you, that just two years ago in his previous school his teacher told me she doesn’t believe this will ever happen, but apparently, the teachers he has now believe a regular class is the place for him to be. I understand that a few of his teachers actually wondered what exactly is he doing in a "special needs class", and so it seems that the time has come for Isaac’s integration.

I have always believed Isaac should be in a regular class, but I have no doubt that your support had a lot to do with Isaac’s improvement and the school’s decision. Eli

Saving lives, one at a time…it’s what we do best.

*pseudonyms

There is nothing better than getting away from our desk and meeting one of our "good people" on their home turf. Our quick trip to Seattle was a chance to meet Jeannie Jaybush from Baby Corner. Despite working with her for years we had never actually met. We were not disappointed. Jeannie and her associate Liz could not have been more welcoming, and seeing the endless rows of baby supplies–clothing, diapers, toys, baby equipment and more confirmed for us what an amazing resource this tiny organization is for needy families in Seattle. While there, not only did Jeannie share story after story about the people they help, but a visit by one of the local public health nurses, coming to pick up some diapers and other baby equipment, confirmed what a valuable role Baby Corner plays in the community.

The shoes in this picture were part of more than 500 boxes of beautiful kids’ sneakers which Jeannie was able to retrieve from a local store that went out of business and were left by the side of the building. The landlord gave Jeannie a few hours to get them before they went into a dumpster.

Lots of very stylish little feet are sporting these high end sneakers today!

Gary Oppenheimer from AmpleHarvest.org just sent us a short newsletter which included a meaningful idea for next week’s Thanksgiving celebration. For those of you who will be hosting, why not forgo the traditional flowers for your table and, instead, make an attractive centerpiece of seasonal fruits and veggies which you can then bring to your local food pantry or soup kitchen after your feast is over.

Gary’s web site, http://www.ampleharvest.org/find-pantry.php, has a complete database of local pantries across the country. We are sure they would love to have your donation so that others who are less fortunate will benefit from the healthy food.