After seeing reports of NYPD officers being pelted with snowballs in Manhattan, several CTeeners approached their chaperones with a proposal: to bake cookies, write notes, and personally thank the officers who helped keep them safe during the weekend.

Speaking outside Brooklyn’s 71st Precinct, Michael Ferreira, a CTeen leader from São Paulo, Brazil, whose chapter visited the precinct, said his parents were concerned about rising antisemitism.

“Our rabbi, Mendy Gansburg, reassured them that the NYPD would be there protecting us. That gave them confidence to send me,” he said. “I felt it was important to come here and thank them.”

CTeen partnered with Kitchen of Kindness, Chabad’s network of volunteer kitchens, to facilitate the effort. The organization immediately enlisted the help of Bais Rivkah, which donated ingredients and opened its kitchen for the teens to bake and write thank-you letters.

Teens from Morocco, France, Scottsdale, Arizona, Israel, Manchester, Brazil, and Portugal participated.

“We recently finalized a program designed to help communities thank local first responders. When the teens approached us with the idea, we were able to activate the kit immediately,” said Menucha Shanowitz, program developer of Kitchen of Kindness at Merkos 302, who, together with Chaya Tauber, helped organize the initiative. “This is exactly what it was created for. It empowers communities to express appreciation in a meaningful and organized way.”

Kitchen of Kindness was created in memory of Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky A”H, who as Chairman of the International Kinus Hashluchim, consistently emphasized expressing gratitude to those working behind the scenes, especially law enforcement.

“We are incredibly proud of these teens,” said Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, chairman of CTeen. “They chose to show appreciation to law enforcement, even when it may not be the popular thing to do. That’s exactly the kind of leadership and values we hope CTeen instills: respect, gratitude, and responsibility.”

The visits to the 71st and 77th Precincts were coordinated by Rabbi Yaacov Behrman, the Chabad PR liaison. Officers warmly received the teens and expressed appreciation for the gesture. The teens distributed their cards and baked goods and concluded with a heartfelt rendition of “Oseh Shalom,” the Jewish prayer for peace.