As winter is fast approaching, 73 children from underprivileged homes were treated to gift certificates at a clothing store here in Rostov. Each gift card was valued at  $120 and was enough to purchase a warm winter coat as well as a wide variety of other clothing. Children and parents expressed their sincere gratitude to the sponsors for this wonderful project.

Our Hong Kong guests joined us in delivering the monthly food packages to the needy. One of the older women said she has been sick for weeks and this visit has lifted her spirits. She now looks forward to joining us for our special communal Seder for the elderly.

100 pairs of shoes were distributed to underprivileged children ages 2-13. The shoes were kindly donated by the Keren Yedidut Fund headed by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein of Chicago, IL.

On Behalf of our community we would like to thank the Keren Yedidut for their ongoing support.

Over the past two months, we have been distributing food packages to needy children in Rostov-on-Don and the surrounding areas. The packages include chicken, fish, fruit, vegetables, baked goods and non-perishables. This project has been generously funded by the Keren Yedidut foundation headed by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein (IFCJ). To date over 200 packages have been distributed to needy children.

This initiative comes at a very critical time, as the current economic downturn has caused many people to lose their jobs. The average monthly salary is between $200-$400 which leaves many families struggling to make ends meet.

At our recent food distribution, a single mother noted that “if not for the Keren Yedidut packages we would not be able to celebrate Rosh Hashanah properly.”

Our community would like to thank Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein and the Keren Yedidut for all their continuous support.