I celebrated my Bar Mitzvah in Cape Town, South Africa with a traditional service at the historic Garden Shul synagogue. I chose to participate in Pack for a Purpose as part of my mitzvah project to give back to the community which was so welcoming to me and my entire family. I collected books, soccer cleats, socks, pens, pencils, markers and other supplies from friends, family and neighbors in the US. These supplies were to be delivered to the Backpack Hostel to help support several projects they are involved with. I really liked the idea of assisting in this way to help children in the area have the opportunity to play sports and participate in arts and crafts, just as I am able to do at home in the US. After spending 5 days in Cape Town, my family traveled to several camps in Botswana and Zambia where I was also able to leave school supplies for a local school in Livingstone, Zambia. It was the trip of a lifetime that hopefully affected many other lives too. Thanks to Pack for a Purpose for providing this great service and making it so easy!