Julian Albright, Congregation Shaare Emeth

Volunteering with Leket, on a recent trip to Israel, inspired Julian’s mitzvah project. That particular day his family was on a large farm picking tomatoes. Seeing how much was left on the plants that would otherwise go to waste, Julian felt someone should benefit from the produce that was still edible. 

Bringing that understanding back home, Julian, son of Danna and William Albright of University City, volunteered at the Garden of Eden, the St. Louis Jewish Community Garden at the Jewish Community Center. He knew the crops from this garden would benefit the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry. Julian help to plant, weed and harvest the garden as necessary.

A student at Brittany Woods Middle School, Julian enjoyed his project and was excited to participate in something so important as bringing fresh vegetables to those who may not be able to afford it. It also spoke to his enjoyment of nature and the outdoors. Julian liked being able to see the “fruits of his labors.” 

Founded in 2005, Leket is an initiative of Leket Israel, Israel’s National Food Bank. It sends thousands of volunteers and dozens of paid pickers into fields and orchards to gather produce donated or left to rot by farmers. In 2010, the project rescued 9 million pounds of fruits and vegetables from over 300 farms throughout Israel. All produce is delivered free of charge to over 290 nonprofit organizations serving Israel’s needy.