Caleb chose three distinct ways to serve his community for his chesed Projects – acts of loving-kindness; action, community involvement and scholarship. Son of Mimi and Andy Pultman of Chesterfield, Caleb learned that in Judaism, tzedekah should begin in your own community. He took this direction seriously when deciding where and how his mitzvah project efforts should come to fruition.

Volunteering at the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry was the “action” component of Caleb’s projects. He gained a deep understanding of the growing need in our community to provide food for the hungry. 

“Every time I came back into the warehouse, I was amazed at how many bags would be gone after helping stock the shelves just the prior week,” he said. Caleb persuaded his friends and family to join him by describing the work as a giant scavenger hunt.  “I am very proud of the work I did at the HKFP and am very grateful for all the blessings of my family,” he added. 

After several visits to the Lift for Life Academy in downtown St. Louis, Caleb could not believe how the charter school does so much for so many needy students with so few resources. For the “community involvement” part of his mitzvah project, Caleb adopted the 2012-13 seventh grade of the Academy and collected new and gently used school supplies. Collection took place during the final two weeks of classes as his Crestview Middle School classmates cleaned out their lockers. Caleb set up boxes conveniently located in each hallway for the kids to place their donations. 

According to Dr. Jill Schuelen, CMS principal, “The janitorial staff at the school was thrilled to see the unused school supplies that usually ending up in the trash would be donated to such a worthy cause.” 

Friends and family brought additional supplies to Caleb’s bar mitzvah party. Marshall Cohen, founder of the Academy added, “We were so excited to receive the school supplies from Caleb. It is the largest school supply donation we have ever received and each item will go to good use.The teachers were thrilled to have so many wonderful supplies to choose from as they prepared their classrooms for the new students.” 

Caleb and his family have been avid supporters of the Lift for Life Academy since its founding. Caleb is committed to continuing his school supplies drive every spring.  

Finally, Caleb strongly believes that money should never stand in the way of a child attending a Jewish camp. For the “scholarship” component of his mitzvah project, he donated a portion of his bar mitzvah gift money to the Herzl Camp Scholarship Fund. After finishing his fourth summer at Herzl Camp in Wisconsin, Caleb enthusiastically said, “Herzl Camp is my idea of heaven on earth. My favorite part of going to Herzl is reconnecting every summer with friends I have made from all over the country.”