Bassie Baron, 15, Celebrates 10 Years of Giving Back to Rachel’s Table

SPRINGFIELD — Most teens celebrate birthdays with gifts, but for the past decade, Bassie Baron has been giving back instead. As she turns 15 this August, Baron marks a remarkable 10-year tradition: requesting donations of food to Rachel’s Table of Western Massachusetts (RTWM) in lieu of birthday presents.

Since age 6, Baron has pledged her birthday to the fight against food insecurity. Each year, she asks friends and family to fill several boxes matching her age — this year, 15 boxes. Once collected, Bassie, alongside Rachel’s Table volunteers, helps deliver the donations to one or more of the organization’smore than 65 partner agencies across Western Mass.

“Bassie has made a meaningful dent in local food insecurity for more than two-thirds of her life,” said Jodi Falk, director of Rachel’s Table. “Her generosity and leadership are an inspiration to others — especially young people — looking to make an impact.”

In addition to her birthday initiative, Baron organizes food drives at her school and serves as the vice president of Programming on Rachel’s Table’s teen board. The teen board’s mission is to alleviate childhood hunger, educate young people about food insecurity, and advocate for food justice through projects and community engagement.

Rachel’s Table congratulates Baron on this 10-year milestone and encourages others to follow in her footsteps. Food drives are simple to coordinate and can be tailored to meet the specific needs of RTWM’s partner agencies. To learn how you or your organization can get involved, or if you know a young person interested in the teen board, email Rachel’s Table at info@feedwma.org or visit www.feedwma.org. Non-perishable items are also accepted at the Springfield Jewish Community Center on Aug. 10-15 in honor of Baron.