When 12-year-old Evan Epstein had to choose a service project during preparations for his Bar Mitzvah, at first he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, only that he knew he wanted to make an impact.
After he learned about the charity organization Operation Yellow Ribbon of South Jersey and the work it does sending care packages to the men and women fighting overseas, Epstein had his answer.
When his work was finished, Epstein had collected about 500 pounds of food and toiletries for OYRSJ, filling 12 of charity’s largest care package containers.
Epstein said he first gained an appreciation for the troops when he attended an OYRSJ presentation at DeMasi Elementary School where his sister attends.
“I wanted to do something to make an impact on somebody or change people for the good,” Epstein said. “When I went to my sister’s Yellow Ribbon Club assembly … I really saw how much the troops do for us and how we don’t do enough them.”
As for how Epstein collected so many donations, it simply came down to appealing to as many people as he could through handing out flyers with his sister and asking for donations when sending his Bar Mitzvah invitations.
“Looking back at everything I’ve done, I’m very happy that I did that, and I’m proud of what I did,” Epstein said. “I hope that the soldiers become happy or get enjoyment out of receiving the care packages.”
Evan’s mother, Suzanne Schweiger, also incentivized Evan to take his project seriously by placing the condition on him that if he didn’t fill at least 35 bags of donations, he would have to make up the difference with his own money, either from his bank account or what he received in gifts for his Bar Mitzvah.
“I was nervous that I wouldn’t achieve it because it probably would have been a lot of money, but if I didn‘t get that 35, I wouldn’t have made that difference for the soldiers and they probably wouldn’t have gotten that much in their care packages,” Epstein said.
Evan’s mother calls herself lucky for having Evan for a son, whom she describes as a humble, a goodhearted child, and she’s proud he took on such an important task for his Mitzvah project.
“I look at it as so many times today, kids just take everything for granted, and the fact that as a part of his right of passage that he’s required to look outside of himself at what he can do for others, that’s what the mitzvah is, it’s a good deed,” Schweiger said. “The fact that that was what he chose to do, I’m glowing.”
Once Epstein was finished collecting donations, OYRSJ co-founder Dave Silver came to Epstein’s home and helped him pack them.
Silver said it feels good to see someone at Evan’s age understand why it’s important to do something for other people and to show support for those fighting overseas.
“He really ended up helping people and boosting the morale of people that need it the most,” Silver said. “It’s just very powerful when you see someone that age get to do something like that. You have adults that don’t even make that effort. It’s just very powerful.”
Epstein also recently received an email from one of the people overseas who received one of the care packages, thanking him for what he sent.
“I’d like to say without the help of my family I wouldn’t have gotten as much, that it wouldn’t have been as big a result, and I wanted to say thank you to everyone who helped and donated toward this,” Epstein said. “Also I’d like to say thank you for how much I appreciate all the soldier men and women overseas.”
Those looking to donate to OYRSJ can visit www.operationyellowribbonsouthjersey.org.
