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בחרו עמוד

RBS Tzedaka Fund

Investigation
Planning, Rehabilitation

From Hardship to Relief

The rebbe is angry. “You forgot your lunch again? What are we going to do with you, Mendy?” he demands. “When are you going to stop forgetting things? And I see that you forgot the money for the trip as well! Who has some pretzels or a wafer for Mendy?” the rebbe asks the class. Turning back to Mendy, he says pointedly, “You won’t forget again tomorrow, right?”

Mendy stands still, his face bright red with shame. No, he will not forget again. In fact, he hasn’t forgotten at all. But it is easier to claim that he forgot his lunch than to tell the truth.

Who will tell the rebbe the terrible secret? Who will tell him that Mendy is not forgetful at all, that his rumbling stomach is a constant reminder of the fact that no one packed lunch for him to bring to school – neither today, nor yesterday, nor on any of the days before that?

Who will explain to the rebbe that Mendy wants to learn, but a hungry child simply can’t concentrate?

For two months, Mendy has been unusually belligerent, he has “forgotten” his lunch every day, and he has been slipping in his studies. Eventually, the rebbe decides to submit Mendy’s name to the Kupa shel Tzedaka. The professionals of the Kupa, he hopes, will get to the bottom of the situation.

The Kupa discovers that Mendy’s mother, who was the family’s steady breadwinner, was fired from her job last year, and that his father, who took various menial jobs to support the family, hasn’t been able to pay their mortgage for the past eight months. The bank is about to foreclose on their apartment and the atmosphere in the house has become unbearably tense. The Kupa’s experts conduct extensive negotiations and manage to avert the foreclosure. At the same time they begin providing the family with monthly financial support in order to fill in the gaping hole that has developed in the family’s finances.

Mendy has now begun to bring food to school once again. He has paid for the class trip, and he will soon be receiving a new suit for Pesach, as well as a pair of sandals to replace his torn winter shoes.

 Some families require regular financial support in order to survive. But that support is always accompanied by a plan for rehabilitation. The immediate aid allows the family to feel that they have the freedom to breathe and to continue moving forward, while the Kupa helps prepare them for a life of stability and self-sufficiency.

When the monthly support checks from the Kupa begin to arrive, a gateway to a better life is opened. The rehabilitation process is well underway, and Mendy is shining in school once again!