Blog

On Yom Kippur, Rabbi Jamie challenged us to reach out in various forms of service and engage with the community at-large, both locally and globally. Here are suggestions for the next two months.

• Volunteer in Evergreen to help our aging population: The Senior Resource Center in Evergreen is looking for volunteers to provide rides for older adults. Rides to medical appointments, to run errands and other critical needs are provided Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4 pm. To volunteer, contact Janice Pusateri at 303/674-2843.
• Volunteer in Denver: Help ensure that people who are struggling can prepare a Passover seder. Volunteer with Jewish Family Service in Denver by distributing food in the pantry or delivering food to homebound individuals. Apply here.
• Help Holocaust survivors: Recent studies have found that one-quarter to one-third of the estimated 80,000 to 100,000 survivors living in the US live at or below the poverty level. KAVOD is a relatively new nonprofit that provides emergency monetary aid to Holocaust survivors in the form of gift cards to grocery stores. KAVOD has also partnered with Seed the Dream Foundation to launch KAVOD SHEF (Survivors of the Holocaust Emergency Fund), which expands the type of aid available to include medical, vision and dental bills, as well as emergency home repairs, utilities, rent support, and food. Learn more about this group and donate if you are able.
• Help public school teachers: Contribute to Donors Choose, a site that empowers public school teachers across the country to request much-needed materials and experiences for their students. There are thousands of classroom requests that you can help with a gift of any amount.
• Help prisoners: Prison Book Program mails free books to people in prison to improve their lives and reduce the likelihood of their return to the prison system. Donate books from their wish list here.