Jake and Connor Mondschein, United Hebrew Congregation

Jake and Connor Mondschein chose the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry and Haven House to support for their mitzvah project.

Last Halloween, Jake and Connor, the twin sons of Elisa and Bob Mondschein of Wildwood, collected canned and boxed food items from their neighbors. A flyer was sent beforehand to let them know of the collection. In the end, the brothers collected about 175 food items. A week later, they delivered the food to the Jewish Food Pantry and decided to stay for a few extra hours helping out.

The boys said it felt good to know they had helped feed families in need. Later that day, Jake and Connor, who are students at Wildwood Middle School, went to Haven House to redesign two old bulletin boards.

“We chose to do this because the families that are staying at Haven House want to have something to do while they’re in St. Louis,” said Jake and Connor. The designs represented different things to do in St. Louis, with a collage of pictures of popular attractions and their brochures.

Haven House, which strives to provide home comforts and community support for families traveling more than 25 miles to St. Louis to receive medical care for their children, sent the Mondscheins a letter that said the families really enjoyed the bulletin boards. “We’re glad we could help make these families’ stay in St. Louis more enjoyable,” the boys said.