📦 Four Hundred Boxes

Dear Diary,

Today I did something I have never done before: I volunteered at a food bank. My youth group goes there every year before Rosh Hashanah, and this year I was finally old enough to join.

The food bank is a huge warehouse at the edge of the city. When we arrived, I couldn't believe how much food there was. There were mountains of rice, oil, pasta, canned tomatoes, honey and tea, all donated by supermarkets, companies and ordinary families.

Our job was to pack holiday boxes for families who cannot afford to buy enough food. Each box had to contain exactly the same things, so we worked like a factory. I stood at the end of the line and checked every box before it was closed. If something was missing, I had to shout, and the whole line stopped. At first it was a bit embarrassing, but after an hour I didn't care anymore.

By the afternoon, we had packed more than four hundred boxes. The manager told us that each one would reach a family in time for the holiday. I was tired, my hands were sticky from a broken jar of honey, and my back hurt. But on the way home, I felt prouder than after any test I've ever passed. I've already decided: next year I'm coming back, and I'm bringing my little brother.