Welcome to Congregation Har Shalom

Gemilut Hasadim Committee Update

301-299-7087, Ext. 314

Gemilut Hasadim means Acts of Loving Kindness. The Har Shalom Gemilut Hasadim Committee is dedicated to helping those in need within our greater community. “You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to the poor, and to the needy of your land,” says Deuteronomy 15:11.

Throughout the year, the Gemilut Hasadim Committee provides opportunities for congregants to help others who are less fortunate. Our programs include ï Offering a grant to a Har Shalom high school student to enable him or her to develop and implement a social action program. ï Increasing Project Linus meetings for blanket-making ï Adding a gift-wrapping evening ï Continuing to hold Mini-Mitzvah Days. ï Continuing to assist Stepping Stones Shelter with meals and support.

Our “Item of the Month” program offers us a chance to help a wide variety of organizations. Each month, we will focus on a specific organization, provide information about the group, and collect items for which they have expressed a need. Collection receptacles will be located in the main lobby, Religious School and ECEC sections of the building. Please share in Har Shalom’s commitment to helping others. We can make a difference.

Month	Items to be Collected	Organization
September	Non-perishable Food Items (No glass please)	Manna Food Center & Mazon
October	New and gently used kitchen and bath towels of all sizes and New and gently used Judaica	Jewish Foundation For Group Homes
November	Non-perishable Thanksgiving Food Items	Holiday Giving Program, Montgomery County Volunteer Center
December	Gift Cards for the Holidays For food, pharmacy and clothing	Jewish Social Service Agency (JSSA) A Wider Circle
January	Hats, scarves and warm socks	Montgomery County Men's Shelter & JSSA
February	Convenience Foods	Fisher House-National Naval Medical Center
March	Hametz (include macaroni groggers) Non-perishable Kosher For Passover Foods	Manna Food Center & JSSA Kosher Kitchen
April	Disposable cameras and travel size toys	Make - A -Wish Foundation
May	Cell phones – (No longer needed or broken)	Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Violence
June	Household cleaning supplies	Stepping Stones Shelter & Montgomery County Mental Health Association
July	Toiletries	Walter Reed Army Medical Center – Soldier Family Assistance Program
August	School Supplies	Montgomery County Child Welfare Services Stepping Stones Shelter

Note: Non-perishable food items (No Glass Please) and toiletries are collected on an ongoing basis on the shelves in the Gordon Coat Room. (Suggestions for food donations include: canned vegetables, canned tuna, canned fruit, breakfast cereal, canned juice, rice or pasta, canned soup, applesauce, canned spaghetti sauce, non-fat dry milk and peanut butter.) We also urge you to support MAZON, a Jewish response to hunger. Donation envelopes will be available at Har Shalom or see www.mazon.org.

Mini-Mitzvah Days: Please join us as we make sandwiches, create Birthday Party and Celebration Bags, crochet granny squares and make fleece blankets for Project Linus (we’ll teach you how to crochet the squares and tie knots for fleece blankets), make bookmarks for Children’s Inn and placemats for Camp Caring and other activities to help those in need in our community. All ages welcome, but children under ten years of age must bring a parent, grandparent or other adult with them. Please bring two jars of peanut butter. Donations of cake mix, canned frosting, sprinkles, and new washable acrylic yarn are also needed. Community Service credit for students is available for participating in these events.

This year, the Gemilut Hasadim Committee is holding two Mitzvah Days, one on Sunday, Oct 25 called the Fall Mitzvah day, and the other on Sunday, May 23 called the Ilene Abrams Mitzvah Day. These events offer a variety of activities for people of all ages to work together on projects that help children and adults in need.

Brighten the Holidays for Jewish Families - Each year, JSSA provides services for about 25 families who cannot afford to buy holiday gifts for their children. Har Shalom, through the Gemilut Hasadim Committee, works with JSSA to purchase gift items from these families' "wish lists." Please contact Gemilut Hasadim chair Sonia Beekman, 301-299-7087, ext, 314, if you would like a family list from which to pick one or more gift items for a family in need.

On-going Gemilut Hasadim Projects:

Add-A-Mitzvah: Choose from more than 3 dozen mitzvah projects, up from the 22 we had 5 year ago, when we started our Add-A-Mitzvah program. We have many new mitzvah projects this year, including buying free-trade kosher coffee, doing at least one thing to reduce your “energy footprint,” buying holiday gifts for needy Jewish families, or attending our annual Yom HaShoah service in the spring. Signing up is also easier – just send an email to Add-A-Mitzvah@comcast.net. The Gemilut Hasadim Committee co-sponsors Add-A-Mitzvah with the Tikkun Olam Committee Questions? 301-299-7087 x 314 or x 317.

Stepping Stones Dinner Project

Please call the Gemilut Hasadim phone line 301-299-7087, Ext. 314 or project chair Marjorie Klein for information. All cooks, including teens, are welcome to prepare meals for our ongoing Stepping Stones dinner project. Stepping Stones is a family shelter located in Rockville. You provide the food (meals do not need to be kosher) and cook at home or at the shelter in time to have dinner on the table for the residents at 6 pm. Teens can get community service credit for this project; a stipend is available to assist in paying for the cost of the meal.

Kabbalat Shabbat at Summerville

Sarah Freidman is coordinating a group of people that go to Summerville Assisted Living (corner of Tuckerman Lane and Seven Locks Road) on the 3rd Friday of every month to engage interested residents in Kabbalat Shabbat Services. For questions or to volunteer, please call the Gemilut Hasadim phone line, 301-299-7087, Ext. 314 or project chair Sarah Freidman.

Hineini Committee

A sub-committee of the Gemilut Hasadim Committee, Hineini is chaired by Arnie and Carol Friedman and Joyce and Ken Robbins. Hineini offers a helping hand with information and/or hugs when needed, to share knowledge and empathy. Many on the committee have experienced some of life's more pressing challenges and wish to share their knowledge with those who may have had a hardship enter their lives. Our goal is to let you know that you are not alone and that we at Har Shalom are here, and we care. The committee is open to all congregants – the only requirement is a warm heart and the desire to help others. Please contact the Friedmans or the Robbins' for details or leave a message at 301-299-7087, Ext. 314 and someone will get back to you.

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