Leyna Fleishaker spent part of her time before her bat mitzvah at Congregation Keneseth Israel volunteering at the food pantry. She assisted clients, organized shelves and helped bring in donations to our Community Food Pantry. "I like the idea of helping people who don't have as much stuff as I do," Fleishaker said. The experience was moving enough that she decided to speak about it in her d'var Torah. "I talked about how I enjoyed [volunteering] over the summer," she said.

In addition to her own enjoyment, the JFS staff immensely enjoyed working with her. Volunteer Coordinator Beth Healy described Leyna as punctual, energetic, polite, and always willing to lend a hand. There was “no task too large” for Leyna to handle, she said, adding that the young teen was a very quick learner and had very good organizational skills.

“Leyna helped us very much in our food pantry over the summer,” said Rose Miller, food pantry coordinator. “Everything she did, she did with her heart and soul. Her welcoming smile and helping hand projected a warm greeting to our clients entering and leaving the pantry. She is a great role model as young volunteer. We thank her and appreciate all the help she has given us and we hope to see her again here in the future!”

Fleishaker plans to return during future school breaks and summers.