Monthly Social Action Efforts

Ongoing Collections
Each time you come to BJBE, bring something to donate to the Tzedakah Niche in the Village Center outside of our sanctuary. We have ongoing collections for eyeglasses, hearing aids, cell phones, batteries, printer cartridges, and travel-sized toiletries. 

Monthly Efforts
We have a rotating list of charitable organizations that receive monetary donations made that month.  Each month’s recipient is posted on the website and available by calling the office. New this year, we are coordinating our JLC tzedakah effort with the entire congregation. Be on the lookout for monthly requests for special items we are collecting and make your donation a family effort! 

Nurture our North Shore Neighbors
Once per month during the school year
Drop-off: Moraine Township Food Pantry, 777 Central Avenue, Highland Park
BJBE joins with other neighborhood synagogues, churches, and community groups to provide bags of groceries for families in need. Moraine Township students who might benefit from this support are identified by their school leaders, and their families are able to pick up the groceries at their child’s school. Our efforts are critical for families who need to supplement their income or for whom food stamps do not stretch the full month. Moraine Township Food Pantry provides a shopping list and BJBE volunteers sign up to purchase groceries for five families. Expect to make one shopping trip and spend approximately $125 to cover the cost of groceries for all five families. Groceries are then dropped off at the Food Pantry for distribution. This is a great program for a chavurah or other group, and a valuable mitzvah project for B’nai Mitzvah students.
Contacts: Rachel Tzinberg, Laurie Egert Weissler

PADS Homeless Shelter
Fourth Sunday of each month (October - April)
First Presbyterian Church of Deerfield, 824 Waukegan Road, Deerfield

BJBE provides meals and volunteers to support residents of Lake County who are homeless, through the support of PADS (Providing Advocacy, Dignity, and Shelter). The Deerfield shelter is a joint initiative of houses of worship in our area. BJBE provides volunteers from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. in addition to dinner, breakfast, and a bag lunch for up to 50 guests. Volunteers are needed for set up, meal preparation, and caring for/assisting our guests. PADS is the first point of contact for residents of Lake County who are homeless and often the only hope for someone facing a long night in the cold. PADS serves individuals and families with children, including the mentally ill and veterans, by providing vital services, such as emergency shelter, permanent supportive housing, street outreach, and social services. 
Contact: Ruth MillerMelanie Berkowitz

Project Nourish
Fourth Sunday of each month, 8:45-10:15 a.m.
Once a month, volunteers gather in BJBE’s kitchen to pack and deliver lunches to help feed people who are food insecure. The lunches are distributed to neighborhood residents at a church near the United Center and at Staben House in Waukegan. To choose the date you want to volunteer, click here. To learn more about Project Nourish and its history, click here.
Contact: Merrilee WaldronRachel Tzinberg

Baking Cookies for Project Nourish
This is a wonderful Tikkun Olam opportunity for congregants of all ages! Bake a batch of home-made cookies (no nuts or nut products, please) and bag by twos in Ziploc bags to be added to Project Nourish lunches, which are delivered to people who are in need of food. Please label your outer bag Project Nourish, with the date and quantity on the bag, and ring the bell and deliver them to the office or put them in the far right freezer in the kitchen. We will include the cookies the next time we prepare lunches.

Gleanings
Once a month during the summer and fall, BJBE members volunteer at the Deerfield Farmers’ Market, collecting unsold produce and distributing it to individuals in need.  This is a great project for families with young children. 
Contact: Melanie Berkowitz