Update 8/19/2011
I just returned from a trip to Waterbury. First, I dropped of a large bag of vegetables at a Soup Kitchen. This donation comes from the Boulder Knoll Farm, which gives Tikum Olam vegetables every week to donate. It was lunch time, and there were lots of people eating there.
Then, I went to the Waterbury Food Bank and dropped off cucumbers and zuccinis. All summer, we have been dropping off cucumbers and zucchinis that Kol Ami members planted and grew themselves. Low income folks often do not have access to fresh, healthy vegetables, as they are usually expensive and don't keep for very long. Canned and processed foods tend to be much higher in fat, sugar, and salt content, and are strong contributors to obesity. The summertime is an especially vulnerable time for low-income children, as they are not getting their free school lunch at school, which is sometimes the only full meal eaten.
The women in charge at the food bank said, "Thank you. Kol Ami is the only group consistently donating vegetables. This is much appreciated!."
THIS SUMMER , we (Kol Ami members, from our own gardens) have donated
145 pounds of fresh vegetables to the Waterbury Food Bank and 40 pounds of
cucumbers and zucchini to other food banks, for a TOTAL of 185 POUNDS-SO
FAR! This total does not include our weekly donations to the Soup Kitchens
for the Boulder Knoll Farm.
Great Job to everyone involved. As this is an ongoing project, if anyone
has any excess vegetables that they would like to donate, please contact me
at
rosespielman@sbcglobal. net
Thanks.
================
Hey folks. We need your help on some projects. It is our hope that every family in our congregation will pick at least one of these projects and become part of it. We will also be approaching people individually if we don't hear from you. Please email me at rosespielman@sbcgloblal.net which project appeals to you.
The projects are: Relay for Life, Gardening to Feed the Poor, and Fresh Air Fund.
Here is a brief description of each project:
Gardening to Feed the Poor: Our congregation has been approached by the leader and founder of Harvest Now. The man in charge, Brooks Sumberg, has a goal of growing several thousands pounds of food, which will be donated to food banks. Last year, he helped get 2000 pounds of food donated to food banks. The idea is that everyone sets aside a few rows in their gardens. We all plant the same vegetable or fruit, and we plant it at the same time. Your family then helps you grow it (water it, etc.) and we all harvest our crop at the same time, and then donate it to the food bank. Brooks is knowledgeable about growing/harvesting and can advise us as needed. We hope to get at least 10 families. Who can help garden and donate vegetables?
Fresh Air Fund: last year our family, as well as another congregant family, were part of the Fresh Air Fund. The Fresh Air Fund matches VERY low income New York City children with host families across the Northeast and Canada. We were matched with Andrea, an 8 year old little Mexican-American girl who lives in a tiny apartment in Queens. She came and stayed with us for a week and walked barefoot outside, picked blueberries, and swam in a lake, all for the first time in her life. We are inviting her back again this year. It was not easy adding a third child to our household/family for a week. It was incredibly rewarding and also helped our kids appreciate how much they truly have. You do not need a big house to do this (ours isn't). Who can help enrich a child's life?
American Cancer Society Relay For Life: This one we (the Tikum Olam committee) have literally spent hours discussing and problem solving. Here's the deal: We as a congregation reserved/did not schedule anything for the first weekend in June, so we could participate in Relay. However, due to a beautiful Native American sport called lacrosse and a lacrosse tournament, Relay for Life was moved to the second weekend in June. This conflicts with a Bar Mitvah of one of our members. We are not large enough to hold/sponsor two events at the same time. We, as a committee examined many possible options/solutions. The plan we came up with is the best and most feasible plan. This is what we are doing: We are going to raise money on-line through Cheshire Relay for Life and also through in-person donations. We are then going to have a celebratory day handing in all our fundraising (lunch, tie dying t-shirts, games) and RUNNING/WALKING our own Kol Ami 5K fun run, as well as a 1k kids jog. These events can also further raise money for American Cancer Society. We have chosen Sunday June 26th for our big fiesta. We would love as many people as possible to come join us, and possibly run or walk the 5k. Even if you can’t join us, every year we try to raise money for the American Cancer Society, and that would be great if you could help out. Who can join us and who can help raise money to fight cancer?
I hope to hear from you! Please help us to help others while also enriching your life! Thanks
-Rose M. Spielman
rosespielman@sbcglobal.net
