By Marin Londe, Georgia Tech '24
On Friday, September 24, Hillel at Georgia Tech held “Pie for a Cause” to fundraise for Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans, an organization looking to provide financial assistance to the Jewish community impacted by Hurricane Ida. Hurricane Ida made landfall as a Category 4 storm on Sunday, August 29th, the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Ida now holds the title of the second most damaging hurricane in Louisiana, only behind Katrina. With family in New Orleans, I saw how disruptive this was to their lives, their homes, and the people around them. The city and areas around it lost power for almost two weeks, and the water damage was incredible. We decided as an organization that we needed to help the Jewish community of New Orleans.
The Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans (JSF) is an organization “dedicated to preserving, strengthening, and enhancing the well-being and self-sufficiency” of the New Orleans community. They assist and provide for families and individuals of all faiths and ages. When Hurricane Ida hit, JSF was ready with disaster relief and crisis assistance. They are providing food and money to adults who live in the disaster area and sustained significant losses because of the hurricane. We are thankful for their service and generosity towards those in need, which is why we chose JSF as the beneficiary for our Pie for a Cause event.
At the event, approximately 10 Georgia Tech Hillel members volunteered to be “pied,” and about 40 other Georgia Tech students came to participate. Many of the attendees were Hillel members, but we had a significant turn out from non-Jewish Tech students as well. Students paid $3 to either eat a slice of pie or to pie someone (throw a plate of shaving cream at their friend). People had a great time covering friends in shaving cream, eating delicious pie, and raising money for a good cause. The students in total raised over $300 for Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans and had fun while doing so!
Community service is very important to Hillel at Georgia Tech. Jewish values include Tzedek, community service, and giving back to the community. As Jewish people, our task is making the world a better place, and the members of Hillel step up to the task. We enjoy helping others and strive to make a difference. Through Hillel, we enjoy our opportunity to help the community in any way we can. Friends both in Hillel and from other organizations have mentioned that they had a great time at Pie for a Cause, and I know we are all looking forward to our next Hillel community service events!
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