Project Nourish—Monthly Mitzvah Opportunity

Pack lunches on the fourth Sunday of every month

Sign up here

We meet in the BJBE kitchen to pack 350 lunches—a bologna sandwich, cheese sticks, chips, a piece of fruit, and two homemade cookies. This volunteer opportunity takes about an hour. All are welcome! Children as young as two can help so this program is truly for all ages! 

Packed lunches go to the following locations in Waukegan:

•  Jesus Name Apostolic Church
• a women's and children's shelter
• a men’s shelter
• a senior center. 

This work helps people we don't know and will never meet, but we we are doing our little part to repair the world. 

If you have any questions, you can reach out to Rachel Tzinberg.

B'Nai Mitzvah Project sign up:
To sign up a group, or choose Project Nourish as part of a b’nai mitzvah project, please email Merrilee Waldron a few months in advance so we can (hopefully) accommodate your group and/or guide your child. 

​Please note: If you sign up and are not able to attend,  please cancel via Signup genius or email Rachel directly to ensure we will have enough volunteers. ​

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More Mitzvah Opportunities

Bake cookies at home!
Bake a batch of home-made cookies to add to our lunches. Please no nuts or nut products.

Bag by twos in Ziploc bags. Then using an outer bag, please write:  

• Project Nourish

• Date cookies were baked 
• Number of cookie bags inside 

Deliver cookies to the office or put them in the Project Nourish freezer in the kitchen. We will include the cookies the next time we prepare lunches. For questions, please email Sonya. ​

Make Notes of Cheer! 
The small gesture of a note of cheer in our monthly lunch bags, along with home baked cookies, helps add a personal touch to the meals we provide. 
Instructions: 

• Unlined index card or a ¼ page of printer paper is perfect for the   
• You can also put a small note right into the cookie bags if you’re also baking cookies!
• Use markers or crayons to make them colorful 
• Drawings and stickers are great 
• Add a simple phrase of good cheer. Examples: 
  • Have a great day 
  • Enjoy your lunch 
  • or whatever inspires you. 

It’s a great project for children of all ages (but please be sure the handwriting is legible)!  Be creative. Please mail or deliver any notes to BJBE any time. 

We now have a Notes of Cheer station in the village center! Please come make a note when you’re at BJBE! 

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Donate to Project Nourish! 
The BJBE Bob Terry Project Nourish Fund has been critical in helping us continue to deliver lunches to those in need during the pandemic. Our expenses went up and so did the donations from this incredible community, allowing us to continue to provide 10 grams of protein in every lunch. If you would like to make a donation to support PN, please click here to donate online or send a check made out to the Bob Terry Project Nourish Fund to BJBE ℅ Larisa. 

If you have any questions about Project Nourish, or want to be added to our email list, please email Rachel Tzinberg! 

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Project Nourish: Yesterday and Today

Project Nourish started around 1990 with a mission to help address food insecurity on Chicago's West Side. Merle and Bob Terry, representing BJBE, were among the founding members of a consortium of North Shore temples more than 30 years ago. 

In the program's early days, congregants brought giant vats of broth and sandwiches to different parts of the city, finding empty lots (and agreeable owners) on Madison Avenue where they could serve these warm meals.

Eventually, the consortium partnered with Bethlehem Healing Temple, just west of the United Center. After many successful years of that partnership, the consortium conducted extensive research and found that the neighborhood's population was changing and fewer people were coming to get lunches. The group then began working with Another Chance Assembly to help distribute lunches to people who lived in the neighborhood around Division and Central, where the need was greater.

Today, the consortium commits to providing 300 sack lunches to locations in Waukegan every Sunday, rain or shine. BJBE provides lunches on the fourth Sunday of each month. 

Our commitment means that we gather in the BJBE kitchen once a month to create an assembly line and work together to pack lunches. Volunteers assemble sandwiches, add a protein, chips, fresh fruit, and homemade cookies. We pack 300 lunches for the consortium's Sunday distribution, plus an additional 60 for a local senior center and two Waukegan shelters. 

We also like to include a Note of Cheer in each lunch bag, and the notes, along with home-baked cookies, are made by our temple community. These items add some TLC and demonstrate respect for the recipients who wait in line to receive lunch every Sunday. What seems like a small gesture means a lot.
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In 1997, Merle created the BJBE Bob Terry Project Nourish Fund in Bob’s memory, and donations to the fund continue to support all Project Nourish expenses to this day. 

Additionally, Project Nourish has received support from a number of partners throughout the years, from within BJBE as well as within our broader community. These generous ongoing donations help us defray the costs of our monthly lunches.