UJIA AMBA celebrate Purim in Manchester

Purim took on a different aspect this week when Manchester UJIA's newest and most dynamic young fundraising committee, AMBA, helped the children of the Jewish community celebrate the mitzvah of giving Mishlaoch Manot to family and friends, and raise money for charity at the same time.

Over 200 baskets both small and large were filled with donated goods and packaged by hand before being sold at North Cheshire Jewish Primary School as well as Jewish shops and synagogues in the South Manchester area to raise funds for UJIA's Hot Meal Campaign. This campaign is part of UJIA's Extended School Day Programme which provides a comprehensive after school care and educational programme for families where parents need to work longer hours but cannot afford childcare for their children.

Each basket, which sold for £5, will provide a hot meal for a week for an underprivileged child in school in the Merom Hagalil area of Northern Israel. One larger basket was auctioned at Sha'arei Hayim's Purim celebration for £150.00.

Over £2,500 was raised in total which will pay for 500 weeks' worth of hot meals.

Sally Halon, Manchester UJIA's UK Programmes Director said, "The excitement that this project generated has been phenomenal. Children and parents were clamouring for more baskets! We have educated the children about Purim and made them aware that while we are able to celebrate the festival in the comfort of our homes there are children in the north of Israel who are struggling to have a hot meal a day."