“As part of her Bat Mitzvah project, Hannah’s goal was to help out as many homeless and struggling families in our area as she could. She contacted The Living Room (a non-profit organization in Sonoma County that provides daytime shelter to women and children) and went to work. Writing letters to friends and family, Hannah wound up collecting more than $1,100 and 25 bags of clothing and other items the shelter desperately needed. The day I helped her deliver the money and supplies, the woman in charge could not even speak at first. Crying and wiping her eyes, she told us that times have been so hard and donations have been so low, they had to tell the women that they had no more money in the budget to purchase food for the next two weeks. She recounted a story of how two women were fighting over breakfast. One of the women stepped back and said 'I'm so sorry. I just didn't get to eat all weekend, and I'm really hungry.' Well, Hannah’s Bat Mitzvah is over, but she continues to donate to the shelter. She speaks often about how lucky she and her friends are—how much they have.”

Robyn T., Hannah’s Mom