My blog post for the 2nd set of four weeks of my 52 Weeks=52
Actions year . Websites and contact information are here for where I volunteer
or donate in case you are interested.
Week 5 /February 20, 2013
Research/Monetary contributions
If
I sort my helping weeks into series of four I now see the first week as a
planning, research and re-focusing week. It is important not just to look
forward but also to look back at what I have done. I want to think about the
help I am providing in my volunteering and see where my help seems to do the
most good. I continue to look around at websites as well as ask friends for
ideas for helping.
The
Jewish holiday of Purim was this week so I looked to see how I could find a way
to give within the holiday. There are two customs which fall right into what I
am doing. One custom is to give tzedakah or money to the poor. The other custom
is to give gifts of food to friends. it is traditional at our synagogue for
some people to stand at the main entrance and ask people to make contributions.
One table sells boxes of macaroni that you purchase, use for the evening as a
noisemaker and then give to the food bank. The other table was for regular
monetary contributions. I decided to give to both. In Jewish tradition monetary
contributions are often given in amounts of 18 as this number symbolizes life
so that is the minimum amount I have decided to use as my contribution number.
I bought three boxes of macaroni and then what was left of my $18 I gave to the
second table. Later when the evening was done I went into the coat room where
shelves are provided for people to leave food contributions to the Ezra pantry
which then gives what it gets to the Capitol Food Bank.
Instead
of receiving a food gift from one friend I got an email telling me that this
friend had made a contribution to Leket Israel which is Israel's National Food
Bank. I am providing their web site in case you want to contribute money but
also consider if you are planning a trip to Israel to volunteer for one of
their many projects such as gleaning in the fields, making sandwiches for
school children or even helping to deliver meals.
Leket
Israel, Israel's National Food Bank
In
the United States contributions in U.S. dollars should be made payable to
American Friends of Leket Israel and the contribution mailed to:
American
Friends of Leket Israel
P.O.
Box 2090
Teaneck,
NJ 07666-1490
For
questions please contact elena @leket.us or (201)331-0070
http://leket.org.il/English/
Week 6 /February 27, 2013
Hands On
One
of my friends sent me an email about the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS).
They do all kinds of great work with and for immigrants and in my neighborhood
have partnered up with the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN). HIAS was
looking for english speakers to volunteer an hour of their time to help out
Spanish speakers who come on Wednesday evenings to CARECEN for a class on
passing the U.S. citizenship test. We would work, one on one, with the
students, helping them with their English written and speaking skills. I
immediately sent an email to volunteer.
On
Wednesday I walked up to CARECEN and met with the HIAS people in charge. There
was about 15 people who came to volunteer their time and some had been doing
this for several years. Most of the people were in their twenties and it was
suggested that if anyone wanted to go for a meal or drink afterwards we could
meet back at this spot to do so. Then it was time to go into the classroom. I
was partnered up with a woman from El Salvador I would say in her sixties. Her
English was very poor but she was very enthusiastic. During the class the
students were given a list of fill in the blank questions about U.S. civics. I
had her read the questions out loud for me, correcting her when necessary. She
would have me say those words slowly right into her ear about 5 times. Then she
would look in her workbook for the right answers to fill in the blanks. Most of
these questions involved usage of "in" and "on". At the end
of the hour we were both tired but I really felt like I had been useful and
told the HIAS people I would certainly sign up again for this task.
Hebrew
Immigrant Aid Society
Tel:
(212) 967-4100
http://www.hias.org
Central
American Resource Center (CARECEN)
1460
Columbia Road NW, Suite C-1, Washington, D.C. 20009
Tel:
(202) 328-9799
http://www.carecendc.org/
Week 7 /March 6, 2013
Hands On/Monetary contributions
One
of my friends let me know about our synagogue's monthly meal contribution to
feed 25-30 people at Luther Place, a local homeless shelter. Each month an
email is sent out to anyone who signs up. The email has a list of food needed,
the date it needs to be supplied and where it should be delivered. If you are
able to contribute you send a reply email with a note about which item you want
to supply. The food is supposed to be delivered in disposable containers
because no one gets them back. You have the choice to make homemade items if
you want or to purchase the food however if you purchase food it is supposed to
be the quality of what you would serve in your own home.
Here the last list that went out: Entree-3 people to bring an
entree for 8-10. Salad and dressing or veggie (broccoli, beans, etc) for 25-30.
Macaroni/potatoes-offer to make part or all. Bread-whole grain rolls or loaf of
french/italian type bread. Fruit-e.g. 30 clementines, melon, berries, or another
fruit. Dessert-2 cakes, 30 brownies, 60 cookies, etc. I sent an email to supply
the clementines but someone had already signed up for those so instead I signed
up for the bread. I went up to the local Safeway to purchase the rolls and then
next day delivered them. Once before I helped a meal at Luther Place which
requires a contribution of time. Being on this list requires a contribution of
money and time to buy the food and/or cook up something. It was such an easy
thing to do to help feed the hungry that I am planning on supplying something
every month unless I am away.
N
Street Village
1333
N Street, NW Washington, DC
Tel:
(202) 939-2076 Fax: (202) 319-1508
http://www.lutherplace.org/ministries/social-justice/n-street-village
Week 8 /March 13, 2013
Monetary contributions
Before
leaving on my trip to Israel I asked friends if they wanted to give me money
for tzedakah to take to the Holy Land. There is a custom to give someone going
to Israel a dollar or more to make them a messenger of a mitzvah or
commandment and thus ensuring their safe travel. My school director, my class
of children, some of the other teachers and some members of the morning minyan
gave me money. I put each contribution into a plastic bag with a 3x5 card
intending to write on the card where I gave the contribution. During my trip i
freely gave out the money to different places. Some went to help sick children,
some for upkeep of synagogues, mosques and churches, some to help Waldorf
schools, some for upkeep of Yad VaShem the holocaust memorial in Jerusalem and
some for the Patriarchs & Matriarchs tomb memorial in Hebron.
During
our visit to the Jewish/Arab kindergarten of Ein Bustan, hilf, near Kiryat
Tivon we had a listening circle with all the grown-ups. When the listening
stick came into my hands I spoke briefly about the money I had brought with me
and in particular the money from my class of four and five year olds and how I
had decided to give this portion to the school. It seemed right to give the
money from the children of a Jewish school in the United States to a
children's school in Israel trying to bridge together Jewish and Arab
children.
reGeneration
an
interfaith non-profit seeding the Middle East with an educational philosophy
that embraces life, learning, the arts, the earth and all the children.
http://regenerationeducation.org/get-involved/donate
