Ruby has a soft spot for people who are homeless. We found this out when we received her special letter in the mail. It couldn’t have been more timely. Brenda, Director of Social Services at Family Promise Essex (FPE), had just taken a call from a mom who needed help with groceries for her family of eight. We were still trying to figure out how to help this mom when Emma, Executive Director, opened the mail. Inside was a letter from 8-year-old Ruby and $330 worth of ShopRite gift cards. For those of us who believe in divine intervention, this was one of those moments!
It turns out that Ruby has been volunteering with her family at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun for some time, eating with the families and playing with the children. She loves every minute of it. These experiences have given her compassion for the homeless and the desire to help. In fact, she can’t pass a homeless person on the street without asking her parents to give money to them.
It was Ruby’s idea to have a bake sale on her front lawn to raise money for the people that FPE serves – the ones that she sees twice a year at her temple. And out of that one bake sale came the money to help feed a family for several weeks. We applaud Ruby for following her heart and can’t wait to see where her passion leads her next.
