My name is Jerry Magel and I have been a member of B’nai B’rith for over 50 years.  I’ve been through the AZA movement, I’ve been through B’nai B’rith Young Adults, and in the early 1970s, I got involved with B’nai B’rith in Woodland Hills, California. 

I’ve become Lodge President and about 12 years ago, I got involved with The Bagel Brigade; which had started about 10 years prior.  The Bagel Brigade was founded by Herman Berman.  Its thrust is to collect bakery and pastry products, put them in bags, and take them to elementary schools – specifically in low-income areas on Monday to Friday – and on weekends, we take the same products to local shelters and foodbanks since schools are closed.

The Bagel Brigade is operated by 150 volunteers — 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  No matter what the weather conditions are.  We have another group of volunteers that picks up in the evenings and donates directly to different locations the next morning. 

We operate this program also where get donated funds and we purchase milk and cereal.  We take them to a distribution center for LA Unified Schools, low income schools, so they can distribute them to schools in the San Fernando Valley – specifically elementary schools – so children who do not receive a proper breakfast every morning will have something in their stomach to help them learn as the day goes on.