Students get trucking with food donations
Children’s Hospital patients enjoy a concert sneak preview
More than 20,000 non-perishable food items were collected by children at 10 Montreal Jewish day schools on Oct. 14-15 during a food drive dubbed Feed the Truck.
A large truck travelled to each of the participating schools to pick up food that students had collected over the previous month. The students themselves packed the truck with their donations.
The initiative was led by volunteers with Federation CJA, in partnership with a network of agencies and organizations. Federation CJA builds and sustains Montreal’s Jewish community through leadership and the support of services and programs for the vulnerable and those in need.
The schools involved in the initiative were Akiva, Beth Rivkah, Bialik High School, Hebrew Academy, Hebrew Foundation School, JPPS (Jewish People’s School & Peretz Schools), École Maïmonide, Solomon Schechter Academy, United Talmud Torahs of Montreal and Herzliah High School.
“Feed the Truck aims to provide a helping hand to those in need — a priority of Federation CJA and a core Jewish mandate of tikun olam (Hebrew for repairing the world),” said Jill Kimmel, who chaired the program with Bonnie Levine and Lynda Bensoussan.
“But beyond that, it’s a chance to educate youth about needs in the community and empower them to make a difference.”
The donations will be distributed to Federation CJA-funded communal organizations that deal with food security.
Last year, with the help of Federation CJA, more than 17,200 people benefited from an array of food services, including food banks, food delivery and kosher cafeterias.
The Family Resource Centre at the Montreal Children’s Hospital became a concert venue on Sept. 23 when four young Quebec entertainers performed for patients.
The entertainers were: singer Angelike Falbo, a finalist on the TVA talent show La Voix; Marco Bocchicchio of the TVA talent show La cour des grands; Lukay, a pop/R&B recording artist; and, singer-songwriter Jaden Chase.
The four performed for about 30 minutes in front of 30 or so young patients, as a prelude to a fundraising concert in December for the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Bocchicchio sang Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah and Somewhere from West Side Story.
Chase performed his hit song, Incredible, and his new single, Bare With Me.
Falbo performed with Albe, her touring guitarist.
Lukay ended the show with a rendition of his single, All Night.
The four will perform again at Angelike and Marco’s Christmas Concert on Dec. 5 at Collège Laval’s Théâtre Marcellin-Champagnat. The show is produced by Melanie Hattem and co-produced by Joe Falbo and Archie Bocchicchio.
The performers will be accompanied by professional dancers and students from L’Académie de Danse de Montréal.
Tickets cost $27.50. To reserve, visit theatremc.ca, click on “billetterie” then “achat des billets.”