Inside the 9,000-square-foot warehouse that's home to "Mitzvah Circle," there are sweaters, sneakers, and blankets, sitting in boxes that nearly touch the ceiling.
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Each item is hand-picked by a personal shopper for someone in need.
"This started in my garage and I didn't really think I was starting a charity, I thought I was helping one family who had a mom who had cancer," said Fran Held, who founded the charity 13 years ago.
"'Mitzvah Circle' means a circle of kindness, and I think it's really important that people understand there are many acts of kindness that don't need to be repaid," she said.
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In 2020, the year the world stopped for the pandemic, Fran didn't. She opened a new warehouse and served 97,000 people, which included donating 2 million diapers.
"We know that babysitting in a dirty diaper is more likely to have health consequences," she said.
After the care packages are made, they're sent out into the community. Volunteers either hand-deliver goods in Montgomery County or one of the 150 community partners picks them up.
"In Montgomery County, people are shocked when I say we're delivering to Ardmore, to Bryn Mawr, to Blue Bell. Those are places that people do not think of as areas of need," said Held.
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Through her work, Held has realized there's a need everywhere you look and she wants to be a helper.
"We believe that creating a better world starts with helping the person who is standing in front of you who's suffering," she said.
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