Our Tzedakah work at Temple Isaiah continues to be an important and vibrant element in the life of our Temple and in the fulfillment of our values around Social Justice and Tikkun Olam. The many opportunities to serve the less fortunate and provide for the welfare of our community are a reflection of the values we continue to hold closely at Temple Isaiah. Many dedicated leaders volunteer year-round to provide us all with opportunities to be involved.

Here are the current opportunities to serve:

• Jewish Family Table - Since its founding, Family Table has served a total of 225 families in the Greater Boston’s Jewish community. Temple Isaiah has been a part of that effort from the beginning and has always been considered “a model” participant in Family Table. Working closely with our Religious School, we gather food and other essentials for needy Jewish families.
  
  • Temple Isaiah has committed to deliver 3 items on a monthly basis to the JFT collection point (60 units of tomato, 60 of rice, and 40 of canned fruit).  Please drop off items in the Temple lobby whenever you wish.
  • To volunteer your help, contact our coordinator Janey Solis.

• Bristol Lodge Soup Kitchen - The mission of Bristol Lodge is to provide shelter, food, advice and counseling to homeless people in the Waltham area. Each month, Temple members cook or provide a meal that serves 75 homeless people.
  
  • We serve Bristol Lodge on the first Sunday of every month. Each Sunday, we have 9 to 10 different cooks who make salad and chicken
  • To volunteer your help, contact our coordinators Marge Albin and Linda Ziffrin.

• Lexington Food Pantry - Our volunteers, together with others, distribute packaged food and produce to approximately 50 to 80 local families who are in need.
  
  • We provide four volunteers, two Saturday mornings a month, to manage the distribution of food for the Lexington Food Pantry on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month feeding about 70 needy recipients
  • To volunteer your help, contact our coordinator Joanne Frolich.

• MAZON - Our mission is to involve the Temple Isaiah community in Mazon's worldwide mission of hunger relief. Mazon, a Jewish Response to Hunger, has been funding a broad spectrum of nonprofit organizations since 1985. Its dual purpose is to provide for those who are hungry today as well as to help alleviate the forces that cause their hunger. Download the Mazon brochure.
  
  • Temple Isaiah was one of the early congregations to recognize the importance of Mazon's mission and become a "Mazon Center".
  • Key events and activities include an annual pledge drive, donations in conjunction with Bar/Bat Mitzvot and marriage celebrations, an annual LEFTY-organized Mazon dinner, and spontaneous contributions celebrating important personal milestones.
  • For further information, contact Bill Rosenfeld, MAZON coordinator.

• Project Ezra - At Christmas time, adults and children join together to prepare dinners, make cards, assemble meals, decorate packages and deliver meals to needy non-Jewish families on Christmas Day.
  
  • This is a jointly led endeavor by Temple Isaiah and Temple Shir Tikvah, Winchester
  • With generous food donations and the efforts of 150 members participating last year, we prepared and delivered 135 holiday dinner packages for 55 families in need.
  • Our coordinator is BJ Rudman.

• Literacy Project - Social Action embraces literacy as an important area of participation-both locally and globally. Locally, volunteers work in the Cambridge, MA public school system one-on-one with early readers.
  
  • New tutors undergo training at the beginning of the school year. Tutoring is conducted at the Haggerty Elementary School in Cambridge
  • To volunteer your help, contact our coordinator Rosemary Putnam

• Red Cross Blood Drive - This is held annually and is highly successful, collecting 50-60 pints each year.
  
  • Rotating leadership to organize and staff the event
  • Next year's Blood Drive will be held in May 2011, date TBD

Volunteers are always welcome. This is important work and we are blessed to be able to perform these mitzvahs. If you’d like to get more information or to find out how you can get involved – email our Social Action chairs at socialaction@templeisaiah.net and we’ll point you in the right direction!