Community Outreach
Social Action Committee Update - March 2010
The following are our ongoing projects:
- Serving food to the needy on each 2nd Thursday of the month at Macon Outreach
(thanks to the many volunteers that have been doing this!).
- Recycling waste (e.g., cans, plastic, & bottles) from our Kiddush lunches. If
you are doing the Kiddush lunch please remember to rinse out your recyclable
material and place them in the appropriate bin. Thanks to Laura Ilan
for doing the recycling!
- "Adopt a Stream Project". This is a water monitoring project affiliated with
the GA Department of Natural Resources. Each group throughout the state
chooses a stream or lake to adopt and then monitors the water for pollution.
Our group does biological monitoring four times per year at Falling Creek in
the Hitchiti Forest. We dig up the bugs that are living in the stream and
determine the water quality based on the species and diversity of bugs we
find. For example, if we find lots of stonefly and mayfly nymphs, the water
is in good shape, but if we find only leeches and worms.....not so good. Our
current group is called the "Hitchiti Hellgrammites" and consists of Steve
Chanin, Teva Ilan, David Ilan and non-CSI community members). A hellgrammite
is a Dobson fly nymph, which looks pretty mean with all its legs &
mandibles (hence the name). If anyone wants to help us find some nymphs
(such as mayfly nymphs) you are welcome - you too can become a Hitchiti
Hellgrammite!
- CSI Blood Drive. We had a very successful blood drive last December
(thanks to Marty Koplin for organizing it!) and we plan to do it again this
year.
- Sending care packages to our college students on the Jewish holidays -
thanks to Ina Chanin and Louis Schlesinger for taking this on during the
past High Holidays and Chanukah!!
The following are some new projects we plan to undertake:
- CSI aid for Haiti project (in coordination with the CSI Religious School).
- Care packages for our troops.
- Domestic violence outreach.
- Raising funds for solar ovens in Darfur.
And more!
The current Social Action Committee includes David Frolich, Rabbi Rachel Bat-Or, Drew Denisar, Robert Fieldsteel,
David Ilan, Laura Ilan, Kara Hebert, and Jim Henigman. If you want to lend a
hand please let us know!
Sincerely,
David Ilan
Overview
Several committed congregants regularly assist at Macon Outreach, a local soup kitchen. Additionally, our synagogue ships care packages to our college students. Along with Conservative congregations around the globe, we collect food items for Project Isaiah and monetary contributions for MAZON.
Congregation Sha'arey Israel along with downtown area churches gather together on the Tuesday night before Thanksgiving to observe an interfaith Thanksgiving worship. On that night, charity is raised for Macon Outreach and other charitable organizations.
PROJECT ISAIAH 5770
For the last 19 years conservative synagogues
have made Operation Isaiah a part of
their High Holiday observations.
Inspired by Isaiah's words in the Yom Kippur
Haftorah, "Share your bread with the hungry",
we bring non perishable foods to synagogue on
Yom Kippur.
Receptacles for your donations will be
located in the lobbies, and the food collected
will stock the shelves at Macon Outreach at
Mulberry.
Those of us who are able are also encouraged
to mail a check to:
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
10495 Santa Monica Blvd. #100
Los Angeles, CA 90025 |
|
|
