For his mitzvah project, Jacob supported Small World Adoption Foundation, the organization that helped bring him to America from Minsk, Belarus. Son of Amy and Larry Lentin of Chesterfield, Jacob held a bake sale to raise money to purchase clothing for the children in the orphanages overseas.

Jacob and his family made dozens of cupcakes, cookies, banana bread, muffins, and dipped pretzels for the sale. Held in the lobby of USA Mortgage, where his mother works, Jacob made sure everyone there knew about the sale. He hung signs in the office and sent an email to the staff letting them know the purpose behind it.

With a goal of $150, the sale began at 9 a.m. By lunchtime, Jacob had made $300 and had sold out of baked goods. Some people paid as much as $10 for a brownie, though the asking price was only $1.

With the money raised, Jacob bought 10 pink sleepers, 10 blue sleepers, 20 blankets, hats, booties, baby mittens, spoons, bowls, teething rings, towels and washcloths for the babies. “I liked raising money for Small World because this is a way for me to help give the children that live in orphanages the supplies that they need until they are adopted and given a family to be with,” said Jacob, a student at Parkway Central Middle School.

Small World Adoption Foundation of Missouri Inc. specializes in international adoption in Russia and Ukraine. Located in St. Louis, it is a not-for-profit, licensed child placement agency that was founded in 1992. Today, it assists with the adoption of between 50 and 60 children annually.