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Hanna Marcus and Sharon Chesler join a food pantry volunteer in delivering food.
Clothing Collection
During the winter season, we held both a children and adult clothing drive culminating in several carloads of clothing, which were donated to Head Start and the MACC Clothing Store. During the spring, we held another children's clothing drive for kids participating in the Manchester Head Start Program.
Head Start Gift Shop
Volunteers from Temple Beth Sholom help 3 and 4 year old children at two Head Start locations to choose and wrap gifts for their family members during the winter holiday season. Our members donate all the gifts. We are the only religious congregation in the community that provides this unique service that is so appreciated by the kids.
Bikkur Holim
Our Chesed committee works with the Rabbi to identify members of our congregation who may be ill or homebound, and provides visits or phone calls whenever possible. Let us know if you can spare a few minutes for someone who could use your company.
Blood Drive
Every summer, we hold our annual Blood Drive in conjunction with the American Red Cross. This year's blood drive will take place on June 19 from 1:00 PM to 6:15 PM. It takes over 30 volunteers from our congregation, in addition to Red Cross staff, to operate the blood clinic for an afternoon. Many of our members contribute blood along with other members of the community.
Special Needs Housing
We are currently in the visionary stage for several types of housing in our community and region. A "House of Abraham," which will be a joint effort between Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities, will build a simple, decent home for one local family in need. The Jewish Community Relations Council has taken the lead on this venture, and our congregation is participating in the planning process. Members of our congregation have been part of the building team for a house through Habitat Haverim, a joint project of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford and Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity.
Supportive housing, which assists individuals and families who need extra supports to live successfully in the community, has been a recent subject of community conversation. Sharon Chesler, the Social Action Committee's co-chair, has attended the discussion, and we plan on continuing to be part of the implementation.
Mitzvah Day
The sixth annual Mitzvah Day was held on May 6, 2007. Susan Rubin coordinated many volunteers from the congregation to help with activities to benefit both the Temple and community. These included fun activities for children involved in the DCF system, making stuffed dolls for hospital patients, sprucing up the Temple grounds and the Berdine Stoltz garden, a nursing home visit, and other fulfilling mitzvahs. We look forward to next year's Mitzvah Day.
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