Gemilut Hasadim Committee Update

gemiluthasadim@harshalom.org

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.


Har Shalom's efforts against genocide in Darfur and other social action projects were highlighted in a Nov. 1, 2006 article in the Gazette newspapers.


Throughout the year, the Gemilut Hasadim Committee provides opportunities for congregants to help others who are less fortunate. This year, we are adding a new program – offering a grant to a Har Shalom high school student to enable him or her to develop and implement a social action program. We’re also increasing the number if times we meet for Project Linus blanket-making, adding a gift-wrapping evening to our program for buying holiday gifts for needy Jewish families, and continuing to hold Mini-Mitzvah Days. In addition, we are again holding a Volunteer Fair, sponsoring (with the Tikkun Olam Committee) the annual Add-A-Mitzvah program, and continuing to assist Stepping Stones Shelter with meals.

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. Some of the groups we will be assisting include: MANNA Food Center, Mazon, Jewish Foundation for Group Homes, Montgomery County Volunteer Center, Jewish Social Service Agency (JSSA), Montgomery County Child Welfare Services, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Stepping Stones Shelter, Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Montgomery County Men’s Shelter , and Fisher Houses (serving wounded soldiers and their families). Collection receptacles will be located in the main lobby, Religious School and ECEC sections of the building. Please bring these needed items to Har Shalom according to the schedule posted here and on the website home page. Please share in Har Shalom’s commitment to helping others. We can make a difference.

This year, the Gemilut Hasadim Committee is holding two Mini-Mitzvah Days, one on Sunday, Oct.14, and the other on Sunday, March 30. These events offer a variety of activities for people of all ages to work together on projects that help children and adults in need.

See below for the complete list of Items of the Month.

Month Items to be Collected Organization
September Non-perishable Food Items
(No glass please)
Manna Food Center
Mazon
October New kitchen utensils, pots, pans,
plastic dishes and cups (red and blue for Kashrut)
Jewish Foundation For Group Homes
November Non-perishable Thanksgiving Food Items Holiday Giving Program
Montgomery County Volunteer Center
December Holiday Gift Items Jewish Social Service Agency (JSSA)
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 Toys and Disposable Cameras Make - A -Wish Foundation
May Cell phones not needed Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Violence
June Household cleaning supplies Stepping Stones Shelter
Montgomery County Mental Health Association
July DVDs, CDs and current sports magazines Fisher House - Walter Reed Army Medical Center
August School Supplies Montgomery County Child Welfare Services

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.

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.