When Zach Rosner was just 12 years old, he came across a homeless man in the winter during a field trip to Washington, D.C. He was so moved by the experience that he began to learn about housing, food and clothing issues faced by the homeless. As a pre-teen, he created a grassroots non-profit organization called Hoodies For the Homeless.
The Short Hills 12th grader decided on hoodies because, as a Jewish teen who has been to many Bar and Bat Mitzvahs where sweatshirts are a popular party favor, he realized many teens already have too many, and it would be a great way to give back.
With the help of his parents, he has influenced other teens throughout the country to also donate hoodies and other clothing items, expanding satellite locations beyond Short Hills to 30 locations in 10 states nationwide.
Recently, Hoodies For The Homeless partnered with Atlas Kinder, an international foundation in Morocco, whose mission is to help kids 2-5 who are abandoned or surrendered due to social pressure, illness and poverty, by providing a safe home in a family-like structure and quality education. Currently, up to 7,000 babies are abandoned at birth each year, and in totality, there are approximately 65,000 orphans across Morocco. Zach and his family traveled there to bring hoodies, socks and undergarments.
Next up, Zach is preparing donations for Temple B’nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, whose rabbi is gearing up for a solidarity mission to Israel to visit families.
Is your child doing inspiring work in the community? If so, let us know by emailing editor@njfamily.com.
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