May 15, 2016
Mitzvah Day was once again a fabulous success with wonderful activities that benefit our congregation, our community and our world!!!
Hundreds of BETC members participated in the congregation’s annual Mitzvah Day, sponsored and organized by the Social Action Committee. The event touched more than a thousand lives.
Here’s a list of accomplishments!!
We made:
39 Polar fleece blankets for at-risk infants in the Bridge Over Troubled Waters’ transitional housing program for teen parents and the Somerbaby program at the Somerville Family Learning Collaborative
78 Birthday cards for Temple elders
262 Emergency Room Activity Kits for kids waiting in the emergency rooms at Boston Medical Center
132 Personal Care Kits for homeless teens
464 Bookmarks for local literacy programs
43 Painted flowerpots filled with flowers for elders
71 Painted Onesies for at-risk infants born at Boston Medical Center and for the new babies born to mothers sheltering at New Day in Somerville
Dinner and PB+J sandwiches for more than 110 homeless men and women at CASPAR shelter in Cambridge.
We sorted:
27 Bags and boxes of donated childrens’ clothes and toys for Cradles to Crayons and newly arriving refugee families helped by RIAC
12 Bags and big boxes of books for More Than Words Bookstore run by and benefitting at risk teens, the Reach Out and Read program in Waltham and the After School Children’s Library at the New American Center in Lynn.
We pulled out:
18 Tall garden debris bags of invasive plants around Blair Pond
We planted:
Lots of vegetables seeds in raised beds at Beth El Temple Center to provide fresh vegetables for people using Belmont Food Pantry
As Part of the Welcoming the Stranger – Refugee Response Initiative
We made made and sorted:
22 Welcome baskets and bags filled with kitchen and household supplies for newly arriving refugee families from Asia and Africa
3 Move-In bins of supplies for refugee families arriving in the next few weeks
4 Big bags of elementary and middle school books for the After School Children’s Library at the New American Center in Lynn
We signed up:
12 Temple members to receive action alerts about refugee and immigrant legislation.
...and then we shared a wonderful Community Potluck Lunch organized by The Brotherhood!
