On April 2, a pretty incredible event took place. 41 Jewish teens from 17 Milwaukee area public and day schools joined together to help underprivileged people throughout Milwaukee in a day-long event called Teen Day of Social Action, co-sponsored by the Coalition for Jewish Learning and Tikkun Ha-Ir of Milwaukee.

In the morning two experiential workshops took place: Helping: Giving and Receiving and Food for Today: Taking Steps to End Hunger. Giving and Receiving helped teens find their voices and talents in order to fill the needs of people today. Food for Today was a simulation presented by the Hunger Task Force, a community organization dedicated to alleviating hunger. It taught us what it is like for people living from paycheck to paycheck to feed themselves, and possibly a family, for three days.

Rachel Zacher, who participated in Food for Today, said, "When I first arrived I thought it was going to be a poorly run program. Within minutes of arriving I was given the identity of an illegal immigrant who was caring for a family of eight and only had seven dollars a day to purchase food for his family. When the simulation was over, I was very frustrated because I could not feed my family, ever. I enjoyed the program immensely because it gave me the chance to get a view of society that I'd never seen before." I also attended Food for Today, and it gave me the chance to know a way of life that I, as a child from a middle-to-upper class background, had never seen. This simulation hit close to home for every teen there, because each person that they pretended to be was a real human being from the Milwaukee area.

After these workshops, I attended the Hope House, which is a homeless shelter, food pantry, clinic, after-school program and day camp, and also offers classes for obtaining a GED and learning about different cultures. First, we received a tour of the premises, then we searched the Internet for information on India for the month long class on the culture of India. Then we had some time to play with the children in the family level of the shelter. Chana Ellman who was there with me said, "I thought it (the Hope House) was fun and informative because it showed me some things I can do on my own, not with a group. And I think it will make it easier to get into the habit of volunteering around the city." My time at the Hope House made me appreciate everything I have, material and otherwise. I am so grateful for everything that my family has been able to provide me and this experience made me realize that even more. Teen Day of Social Action was a success not only for its planners, but also for every teen who had the opportunity to participate.