On Sunday Aug. 7, the Sephardic Food Fund hosted their 5th annual tournament fundraiser. Shootout 2017 was a very successful tournament that raised a lot of money for the organization while simultaneously spreading awareness for the cause throughout the community.

Many of us take for granted our refrigerators and pantries filled with food and our bountiful shabbat tables. Sephardic Food Fund (SFF) puts in the time and effort to help the families of our community that are not as fortunate. The families they help receive supermarket cards on a monthly basis with money on them. They even look like credit cards and can be used at many supermarkets and butchers which assures the utmost discreteness. The organization is always having in mind the recipient's dignity. SFF assists about 311 community families to date.

Jacky Schweky, dedicated fund raiser for the Sephardic Food Fund.

The tournament was in memory of Amy Haber A”H and sponsored in part by Carol and Ikey Chera along with other community businesses as well. It was hosted at the beautiful home of Esther and Joey Jerome. SFF would like to extend their gratitude to their gracious hosts and all who helped make this year's tournament such a success.

The teams in their colorful array of shirts were all eager to compete in a variety of sports offered. Co-ed volleyball was located on the beach while basketball, tennis, and soccer were also played at this lively community event.

Harry Braha, a young player in the event.

Harry Braha, who played in this tournament three years in a row exclaimed, “Playing in this event means a lot to me not only because I love playing with my friends, but also because it’s a great organization.”

Young men's basketball champions at Shootout 2017; Credit Instagram.

When asked how his games were going, he said he was waiting to see if he made it to the playoffs, undoubtedly an exciting part of participating! There was a tent specifically dedicated to the enormous trophies, a great inspiration to ‘shoot high’ (pun intended!).

Prime Cut Caterers put out an amazing spread. From hamburgers and hot dogs, french fries and chicken nuggets, salads and fruit, no one went hungry. There was also a beef jerky station where you could sample an array of flavors offered by Candy and Cattle. Candy and Cattle is a new up and coming company in our community that sells Bait Yoseph beef jerky in four unique and original flavors.

Players enjoy the kosher beef jerkey station run by Candy and Cattle.

The table seemed to constantly be busy with hungry players looking for a quick and lean protein fix between games. Another perk of being a player was the free massages offered; yup you read that right! A tent was set up with a team of masseuses ready and willing to massage any player who seemed fatigued or just in need to relax! It was truly a beautiful and fun day for all who attended and participated!

Frieda Schweky

Frieda@sephardic.org

Frieda Schweky is Sephardic.Org's official community events reporter. For inquiries and to get involved with our site, please contact Frieda via email.