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.
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.
