Here are 3 ways to help children and families as we end 2025 and enter a new year

Good things are always happening in our South Florida community. Here are three groups to consider learning more about in the new year.

CHILDREN’S BOOK CLUB MARKS 5 YEARS

During the Miami Book Fair, hundreds of families and their youngest readers enjoyed the two-day Children’s Alley.

The Children’s Trust Book Club booth was an exciting hub that featured sensory bins, arts and crafts, interactive story times, music and movement sessions, parent workshops, bilingual puppet shows, and art and paint activities.

Families, especially those with children from infant to 4, enjoyed the welcoming space designed to spark early literacy and creativity.

The Children’s Trust Book Club proudly marked its fifth annual return to the Miami Book Fair.

“At The Children’s Trust, we believe every child deserves the joy of books and the power of stories. Seeing so many families come together at the Miami Book Fair reminds us how reading can spark imagination and strengthen our community from the very start,” said Children’s Trust President and CEO James R. Haj.

Since its launch in 2020, the Book Club has mailed more than 1.6 million books to nearly 48,000 children to help families build home libraries and foster a lifelong love of reading.

Each month, children who are enrolled receive a new, age-appropriate book delivered directly to their home, along with tips and activities for parents to encourage reading together.

And recently, The Children’s Trust Book Club expanded its reach by hosting in-person meetups at community locations throughout Miami-Dade County.

You can sign up a child and donate on The Children’s Trust Book Club site.

NEW MITZVAH KITCHEN UPLIFTS ALL

Rooted in the values of helping through kindness and food, The Mitzvah Kitchen is partnering with local groups to provide opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to give back.

Its mission is to combat food insecurity through volunteer-led meal preparation and distribution.

At its kickoff event, the effort mobilized dozens of volunteers who made and packaged 300 nutritious kosher meals, all donated to Jewish Community Services. A huge “Community Cooking for Thanksgiving” event was held in November.

“The Mitzvah Kitchen is more than just a meal — it’s a movement,” said Rabbi Yossi Harlig of Chabad of Kendall and Pinecrest. “We’re building a space where people come together, learn, serve, and create lasting impact. Every dish we prepare tells a story of care, unity, and hope.”

The Mitzvah Kitchen welcomes all to participate in its ongoing programming combining culinary training, life skills development, and service learning. More at mitzvahkitchen.org

‘VOLUNHELP’ HELPS FAMILIES IN NEED

Cooper City teen Asher Belfer, 17, is transforming how The Dorit & Ben J. Genet Cupboard of Goodman JFS serves food-insecure families. A longtime volunteer, Asher noticed inefficiencies in the scheduling and delivery tracking, and he decided to do something about it.

Inspired by a high school computer science class, he created VolunHelp. The custom logistics platform “replaces outdated spreadsheets and mounds of paperwork, streamlines operations, and ensures accurate delivery reporting for grant purposes.”

The software is user-friendly and allows staff and volunteers to better focus on their mission.

“Feeding our community takes a village. With a team of just seven, we count on hundreds of volunteers to meet the growing needs of families in our community. Asher’s software has optimized our operations so we can stay focused on getting food to more people. We couldn’t do this work without volunteers like him,” said Ross Adel, operations director, The Cupboard of Goodman JFS.

In October, Asher and his family served as event co-chairs of the Feed the Need Fundraiser. He is hoping more young people can join him to help.

He first started volunteering with his parents on food deliveries throughout Broward County.

“Eventually, I started volunteering in the warehouse stocking shelves and packing bags for delivery,” he said.

“I had been volunteering with The Cupboard of Goodman JFS in various roles and noticed issues with delivery processes, such as drivers doubling up, incorrect addresses, and inefficiencies in client-driver assignments. After noticing these problems and taking a computer science class in high school, I thought about how technology could help. This inspired me to build VolunHelp, which is software designed to streamline these processes,” Asher said.

He started on the software in the summer of 2024 and “worked pretty much non-stop to get it up and running.” The platform is now live and in use, he said.

“I always knew about food insecurity, but didn’t realize how much impact one person could make. Just by volunteering, it’s possible to help hundreds of people get the food they need. The Cupboard at Goodman JFS is a great place to start since it’s a big community of people who want to help. Most recently, they hosted a Thanksgiving Food distribution which helped feed over 600 food-insecure families,” Asher said.

His friends have started getting involved and more volunteers of all ages are welcome. Information is at jfsbroward.org/services/cupboard/

Write to ChristinaMMayo@gmail.com with news for this column.