This week, year 6 pupils at Manchester’s Broughton Jewish Primary School were treated to a full day of ‘giving’ sessions by GIFT Manchester educators Sophie Woolfstein and Aliza Noe,  joined by GIFT London’s Senior Educator Rabbi Avrohom Zeidman.
The exciting and informative Supermarket Challenge competition was put together and run by Rabbi Zeidman and involved the pupils transported to a local supermarket, and in groups thoughtfully selecting & purchasing food items they felt would be suitable for a family on a budget. The groups were then judged on their purchases and the food was donated to the food bank run by GIFT Manchester.
Rabbi Zeidman explained “ the pupils were really engaged in the activity and there was a real buzz in the classroom at the judging stage; they were excited to see how their items would be judged. The students were shocked at how much food items actually cost, but also learned that bargains help make your money stretch that little bit further. The session really helped them feel empathy for those struggling to feed their families.”

The pupils also spent time carefully decorating & filling flower pots with soil & seeds for residents at Heathlands Village Nursing Home to brighten up the residents’ rooms.
Each child wrote a beautiful, heartfelt personal note to the residents to accompany the flower pots. The chessed activity was accompanied by a class discussion on real happiness; our responsibility to give to others and the joy that giving brings both to the recipient but also to the giver.
Deputy Centre Manager at Heathlands Village, Nick Burgess said “ the flower pots are so beautiful decorated; the residents will absolutely love them.”
To invite GIFT to run activities in your school, contact education@jgift.org