How Kids Build Towers of Chesed: The Summer Tuna Campaign That Feeds Thousands

Every summer, something magical happens in day camps across the Jewish community. Children arrive with cans of tuna. Boxes of noodle soup. Bags filled with donations from their neighbors. They stack them into towers, compete to see who collected the most, and celebrate together - often without fully understanding just how far their efforts will reach. This is Chesed 24/7's annual summer chesed campaign, and it stocks hospital chesed rooms for months.

The Story Behind the Summer Chesed Campaign

The tuna drive started as a simple idea: what if summer camps could channel children's energy into something meaningful? Kids love collecting things. They love friendly competition. And they love knowing they made a difference.

Chesed 24/7 partnered with day camps throughout the region to create an annual camp charity project that runs during the Nine Days - a time when the Jewish community focuses on acts of kindness and unity. Campers collect canned tuna from their families and neighbors. Then they bring everything to camp, where the donations are counted, stacked, and celebrated.

This year, the campaign expanded to include a noodle soup collection - adding variety to the supplies that will eventually reach patients and families in hospitals across New York and New Jersey.

How the Summer Tuna Drive Works

The summer chesed campaign is designed to be fun, engaging, and educational for children of all ages. Here is how it comes together:

Step 1: Camps Sign Up

Day camps throughout Rockland County, Brooklyn, and surrounding areas register to participate in the community food drive. Chesed 24/7 provides promotional materials and guidance to help camps organize their collection efforts.

Step 2: Campers Collect from Neighbors

In the days leading up to the campaign, children go door to door in their neighborhoods asking for donations. This teaches valuable kids chesed activities skills - how to ask politely, how to explain a cause, and how small contributions add up to something big.

Step 3: Building the Towers

When campers arrive with their donations, the real fun begins. Groups compete to build the tallest towers of tuna cans and soup boxes. The atmosphere is electric - cheering, counting, stacking. It turns youth fundraising into a celebration.

Step 4: Collection and Distribution

After the festivities, Chesed 24/7 collects all the donations and transports them to the warehouse. From there, the tuna, soup, and other items are distributed to more than 30 hospital chesed rooms - keeping them stocked for months after the summer ends.

Why This Summer Mitzvah Project Matters

The summer chesed campaign accomplishes something remarkable: it meets a real organizational need while teaching the next generation about giving.

It Stocks Rooms for Months

Hospital chesed rooms go through enormous quantities of food. The tuna drive and noodle soup collection provide a massive influx of supplies at one time, reducing the strain on regular purchasing and donation cycles. One week of collecting can keep rooms stocked well into the fall and winter.

It Teaches Children About Chesed

For many kids, this camp charity project is their first experience with organized giving. They learn that chesed is not just an idea - it is something you do. They knock on doors. They carry heavy bags. They see their efforts counted and celebrated. These are memories that shape how they think about helping others for the rest of their lives.

It Engages the Whole Community

When children ask their neighbors for donations, the entire community becomes part of the summer mitzvah project. People who might not otherwise connect with Chesed 24/7 learn about the organization and its mission. A can of tuna becomes a conversation. A conversation becomes awareness. Awareness becomes support.

It Aligns with the Nine Days

The campaign runs during the Nine Days, a period of reflection and increased focus on ahavas Yisroel. What better way to mark this time than with a community food drive that brings people together for a common cause?

Impact in Numbers

The annual summer chesed campaign delivers impressive results:

• Thousands of cans of tuna collected each summer
• Thousands of soup packets added through the noodle soup collection
• Multiple day camps participating across the region
• Dozens of chesed rooms stocked for months from one week of collecting
• Hundreds of children learning hands-on chesed through camp participation
• Countless families fed when they visit a hospital chesed room

Local newspapers often cover the campaign, featuring photos of children building their towers - a visible reminder of what kids chesed activities can accomplish when an entire community comes together.

Stories From the Tuna Drive

"My daughter talked about the tuna drive for weeks. She was so proud that her tower was the tallest. Now she asks every year when she can do it again."

"I love that my kids learn chesed is fun. They see it as an exciting activity, not a chore. That is exactly how it should be."

"When my neighbor explained that the tuna goes to hospital families, I was happy to give. I had no idea this program existed until a seven-year-old knocked on my door."

How This Fits Into Chesed 24/7's Mission

The summer chesed campaign is one piece of Chesed 24/7's year-round effort to keep hospital chesed rooms stocked and welcoming. The tuna and soup collected by campers sits alongside other donated and purchased items in rooms at Memorial Sloan Kettering, Hackensack Medical Center, Columbia, and more than 25 other hospitals.

When a tired parent walks into a chesed room at 2 AM and finds a can of tuna to make a quick meal, they may never know it was collected by a camper in July. But that connection exists. A child's act of kindness reaches a family in crisis months later - proof that even small efforts create lasting impact.

How You Can Get Involved

For Day Camps

Want to bring this camp charity project to your program? Contact Chesed 24/7 to register for next summer's campaign. The organization provides promotional materials, collection guidance, and pickup logistics so you can focus on making the experience fun and meaningful for your campers.

For Parents

Encourage your children to participate enthusiastically. Help them go door to door. Buy a few extra cans to add to their collection. Talk to them about where the food goes and why it matters. The summer mitzvah project becomes even more powerful when parents reinforce its lessons at home.

For Community Members

When a child knocks on your door asking for tuna or soup, say yes. Keep a few cans ready during the summer months. Your donation will reach a family in a hospital who needs it - and you will help a child learn the joy of giving.

Donate Anytime

You do not have to wait for summer to support chesed rooms. Monetary donations help Chesed 24/7 purchase supplies year-round. Donate Now or call 845-354-3233 to contribute.

Want to bring the tuna drive to your camp? Contact Chesed 24/7 at 845-354-3233.

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