Boca Raton Boy, 12, Sets Up 'Covid Care' Project

Zach Mandel

(PRESS RELEASE)_Boca Raton, FL (March 15, 2021)—Zach Mandel, a 12-year-old boy in Boca Raton, established a “Covid Care” project benefitting Boca Helping Hands (BHH). With his Bar Mitzvah approaching, Zach asked his friends and family to contribute food and other necessities in lieu of traditional gifts. In the end, he donated 429 pounds of items to the nonprofit.

“I came up with the idea of ‘Covid Care,’ a Feed the Families Food Drive, as my mitzvah project to help collect toiletries and food for less fortunate people,” Zach said. “It feels pretty good to have donated. I visited Boca Helping Hands on a school student council field trip a couple years ago. The pandemic has been tough on so many people in our community, so I was inspired to help."

Mandel is a 7th grader at the Pine Crest School in Boca Raton. The donations, which he picked up from friends and delivered to Boca Helping Hands, included canned fruits and vegetables, cereal, cereal bars, crackers, jelly, pasta, peanut butter, soup, tomato sauce and rice. He also collected toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, razors, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner and soap. Friends and family either purchased the items themselves or used an Amazon link.

“Zach really set an example for kids his age,” said Greg Hazle, Executive Director of Boca Helping Hands. “We’re delighted to have received this generous donation of much-needed items.”

About Boca Helping Hands
Boca Helping Hands (BHH) is a community-based nonprofit that provides food, medical and financial assistance to meet basic human needs as well as education, job training and guidance to create self-sufficiency. Through its various assistance programs, BHH supports over 27,000 people annually.

BHH distributes more than 80,000 pantry bags each year at four Palm Beach County locations and serves over 90,000 hot meals annually, six days per week. The organization expands access to affordable medical, dental and behavioral care through its partnership with Genesis Community Health, serving clients at clinics in Boca Raton and Boynton Beach. BHH sends weekend meals home with food-insecure elementary school students via the BHH Backpacks Program and assists working families with the rising cost of childcare through the Children’s Assistance Program (CAP).

With an increased focus on client self-sufficiency, BHH awards scholarships for qualified candidates to attend accredited vocational training classes that prepare them for careers in the healthcare, information technology and transportation industries. BHH also offers free English as a Second Language (ESOL) classes and courses in nutrition and other life skills. Staff and volunteer mentors counsel the unemployed and underemployed in basic workplace skills and help them polish resumes and search for jobs.

Boca Helping Hands is a partner agency of The Town of Palm Beach United Way. Since 1945, the Town of Palm Beach United Way has been committed to improving lives and building strong communities throughout Palm Beach County by focusing on programs and priorities that promote education, health and financial stability.

Charity Navigator named Boca Helping Hands a Four-Star Charity for the 14th consecutive year in April 2020. Boca Helping Hands is located at 1500 NW 1st Court, Boca Raton, FL 33432. For more information, please visit BocaHelpingHands.org.

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