Rachael Rosenberg and her family have made snacks and meals to give to people in need since she was a toddler. Back then, Rachael didn’t realize that her passion for helping her community would lead her to create hundreds of care packages for homeless men, women, and children throughout the Los Angeles area.
Bundles of Kindness, Rachael’s volunteer project, provides curated tote bags of necessities to homeless communities. The packages are personally delivered by Rachel and typically include food, water, sleep mats, hygiene products, vouchers, and other resources as needed.
Rachael also includes a dose of love and kindness in her deliveries by treating all of her clients with dignity. She says, “I think the most unexpected part of my experience is that I have been able to take the time to actually talk with the people who are receiving my bundles. Everyone has a story and should be heard and recognized.”
As of December 2019, Los Angeles and Los Angeles County ranked second for the highest number of people experiencing family homelessness in the United States. Growing up, Rachael and her family kept snacks in the car, cooked and packaged meals, and sorted canned goods to give to people in need. So, it was a natural leap for Rachel to expand on her and her family’s work for her bat mitzvah project through creating an organization. By the time her bat mitzvah ceremony rolled around last year, Rachael had launched what turned out to be Phase 1 of Bundles of Kindness.
“The pandemic has made being homeless even more challenging and scary. Everyone has been affected by COVID-19, but I try not to let it frustrate me,” says Rachael. Determined, her goal is to share 500 bundles this year and distribute them through food pantries, mobile showers, the Veterans Administration, and directly to people on the streets when it is safe to do so.
Although Rachael’s interpersonal interactions with bundle recipients have diminished since the pandemic began, she continues to emphasize the need to provide strength and hope to the homeless community. She has been using social media to send links to local resources and sources of encouragement to clientele.
As Bundles of Kindness perseveres through COVID-19, Rachael wants other teenagers to know that they might not be able to solve an entire problem, but their effoorts can still make a major effect. “Gen Zers should take this opportunity to make a difference,” Rachael says. “People are never too young to make an impact in their communities.”
The contents of Rachael’s bundles are donated by large companies, small businesses, nonprofits, and individuals like yourself. Click here to access Bundles of Kindness’ Amazon Wishlist.
Photo from @bundlesofkindness.
Born in New York City and now a frequent visitor, Liv moved to Miami at a young age and is a student at Ransom Everglades School where she is a member of the Speech & Debate and Academic teams. Liv is fifteen years old and most passionate about politics and innovation in education systems. An aspiring political analyst, in Fall 2020, Liv is launching Phos, a YouTube series for high school students that shines a light on and dissects recurring issues in the news and current events from multiple perspectives. She is thrilled to contribute to Gen Z Identity Lab to help share diverse points of view that move peer conversations from thoughts to actions to change.