project sandwich

On the first Sunday of every month, unless the date falls during a Jewish holiday, Social Action organizes Project Sandwich, which provides lunches for the hungry of Chicago’s West side.  Please bring five bag lunches – each containing two sandwiches, a bag of chips or other snack, fruit, a dessert and a drink – to the Berkshire entrance between 9:15 and 10:30 a.m.  For more information, or to volunteer as a driver, call Jonathan Marcus at 708-366-2471 or Steve Gelman at 773-774-2631. 

Upcoming 2012-13 dates for Project Sandwich are:

   December 2nd: 4th grade
   January 6th: No school, but encourage donations
   February 3rd: 6th grade
   March 3rd: 5th grade
   April 7th 3rd grade
   May 5th: All grades

Schedule changes will be posted on this webpage and the Temple’s e-mail newsletter.  

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PADS

The Prophets exhort us to follow a long-standing tradition of hospitality among the Jewish people. Our own recent history, with its exiles and expulsions, reminds us that we have a special obligation to provide for those with no protection. 

Oak Park Temple has met that obligation for nearly two decades. We are a founding congregation of West Suburban PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter), a non-profit agency created in 1992 to provide emergency food and shelter to homeless individuals and families in west suburban Cook County. Since that time we have operated the shelter on Tuesday nights.

Since its founding, West Suburban PADS has grown from providing emergency food and shelter to homeless individuals and families to offering a holistic approach to helping those in need. This year, three members of our congregation serve on its board of directors.  
  

DONATE Chanukah Winter Accessories 

Chanukah can be a time to reexamine what we consider a gift and how we go about giving and receiving them. With more families in need than ever before, we can help by giving gifts that keep on giving throughout the winter months. 

The Social Action Committee will collect winter accessories—new socks, woolen mittens, gloves, scarves and warm caps—for children from some of Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods. Our drive will begin on November 18 and conclude on December 14. We encourage you to bring items to the family service at 7 p.m., December 14, the seventh night of Chanukah. Please wrap each item individually and indicate the type of item on the package, if it is for a girl or a boy and the approximate age of child. Items may be dropped off in the cloakroom.

This will mark the third year that we have worked on this effort with the Midwest Workers Association, a civic organization aiding residents in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago.

For more information, contact Deb Kadin by phone at (708) 386-4896 or by email at d.kadin@att.net.

CHANUKAH GIFT WISHES

The Social Action Committee is once again coordinating Oak Park Temple's participation in The ARK's Chanukah Gift Wishes program. This program matches Ark clients with those who are willing and able to provide gifts or donate gift cards for poor Jewish families. Look for sign-up forms around the Temple. Contact Ruth Masters at rmastersw@yahoo.com or 708-445-8031 for more information. 
Click here for more information on the ARK. 

MITZVAH DAY

Social Action gears up to get the congregation engaged in community service. For the past three springs, we have organized a hands-on Mitzvah Day so members of all ages can participate in various service projects. Watch for details on next year's event.

other social action opportunities

DAUGAVPILS

Oak Park Temple offers needed assistance to the Daugavpils Jewish community in Latvia. This relationship is coordinated through the Yad L’Yad program. Warm clothes and medicine, particularly physicians’ samples, are most critical. Call Frances Peshkin at (630) 833-2789 or e-mail her at fpeshkin@alumni.northwestern.edu if you would like to help or want more information.

CLUSTER TUTORING

Volunteers are needed for the Cluster Tutoring program. The program, based in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago, offers one-on-one help in reading, math and other subjects. 

Developed and sustained by congregations in Oak Park, for more than 20 years Cluster Tutoring has provided students with the support they need to get a boost in school. 

Tutoring is provided on Tuesday nights at Pine Avenue Church in Austin and Thursday nights at First United Church in Oak Park. The program’s website is www.clustertutoring.org.

To find out what it’s like to be a volunteer tutor, e-mail Judith Alexander at Judith@beaconresearch.net. For more information or to sign up, contact Kathryn McCabe, the program director, at clustertp@hotmail.com or at 773-378-5530.    

JCUA

Jewish Council of Urban Affairs  is a Jewish social action group focusing on combating poverty, racism and anti-Semitism, in partnership with Chicago's diverse communities. 

AJWS

American Jewish World Service is the first American Jewish organization dedicated to alleviating third-world poverty, hunger and disease. It focuses on the promotion of human rights, education, economic development, healthcare and sustainable agriculture. AJWS has been a leader in working to stop the genocide in Darfur and arrest the spread of HIV-AIDs.

JUF-TOV

JUF-TOV is looking for volunteers for area events. For more information, e-mail tov@juf.org.