Zlata's citation from President Obama

A few weeks ago, MJBHA was recognized by President Obama for its Smart Sacks Project--It is because of Zlata that we were able to being the program that led to that honor. The project provides shelf stable foods before each weekend to children at an elementary school near the Hebrew Academy. Children in the program are at risk for being hungry over the weekend because  they eat at least two of their meals at school each week day and often there is little food at home over the weekend. I read about the program in the Gazette several years ago  and called the Manna Food Center, which coordinates the project, to ask how a school might get involved.

Getting food to the kids in need takes several steps--food pickup, food packing, food delivery and the MJBHA administration was supportive so long as we could find a division that could devote the time needed. Not surprisingly, the division directors were hesitant--Smart Sacks is a worthwhile but time consuming project and each division has other chesed projects they handle. I stood in the hallway near the library one afternoon, as yet without a student group to help, wondering how our Smart Sacks project would get off the ground, and along came Zlata asking me why I looked so troubled. I told her about the project and she said, instantly, "no problem. The four year olds will do it. "

And so the project started. Zlata set aside time, set aside space for our inventory in the nursery kitchen for the first few months, often unpacked the boxes of noodles, puddings, juice boxes, etc. herself and coordinated with the middle school to make sure the bags were packed every week. On the very first week, she led the nursery students herself around the table preset with food for packing, praising them for their participation in the mitzvah of helping others. By mistake, Manna had sent some foods not appropriate for the program, but I did not want it to go to waste. Before I could think of what to do with it, Zlata had already found recipients who were so grateful for the extra food.

Since then, the Smart Sacks project has grown and Zlata's leadership was joined by Mrs. Landman, the middle school guidance counselor and so many nursery, middle school and high school students and parents who make sure that close to 40 children, every week, don't go hungry over the weekend. All because Zlata, among the busiest people at school, one afternoon said "no problem."

In our home, even as my children grew to their current high school and graduate status, Zlata is always referred to as Morah Zlata--appropriate kavod for the woman who introduced Dina and Matthew to brachot, davening, mitzvah notes, parshat hashavua, and, of course, tzedaka. We love her and we will miss her.

 Fran, Neil, Dina and Matthew Krit