Opportunities to Make the World a Better Place with CBI . . .
Upcoming Events:
ONGOING ... Mitzvah of the Month: High Holy Days Food Drive for the Capital Area Food Bank
November: Chanukah "Mitzvah Bazaar"
Four weeks per year: Interfaith Hospitality Network
See Details Below!
Especially as we face these uncertain times, Congregation Beth Israel is committed to providing a variety of opportunities for our members to do acts of tikkun olam, repairing the world.
For example, in order to remind ourselves about the issue of hunger, you will often see baskets of food on our bimah (the area in our Sanctuary where the Ark and Torahs are held). CBI hosts at least two large-scale food and donation drives yearly to benefit the Capital Area Food Bank, although CAFB's bright blue bins remain at CBI year-round in hopes that we can share the bounty in our lives with those less fortunate ... so buy an extra non-perisable item when you are in the grocery store and bring it with you the next time you come! We love making the call to the food bank that our bins are full!
Another way we do this is by sponsoring a "Mitzvah of the Month," an easy (and convenient) way for congregants to give to those in need. Each month, a different organization is chosen to be the recipient. Past beneficiaries have included SafePlace (for victims of domestic violence), Town Lake Animal Shelter, Micah 6 (a local food bank that feeds the poor and homeless near the University of Texas), and the Pajama Project (providing books and PJs to children in foster care). CBI's August beneficiary was Barbara Jordan Elementary School, a very low income public school on Austin's east side (we collected school supplies for underprivileged children).
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In conjunction with our annual High Holy Days Food Drive, November's "Mitzvah of the Month" beneficiary is the Capital Area Food Bank, so please pick an extra or two of something when you are out shopping for your family and then drop them in the bin in CBI's Lobby every time you come to services, a class, or a meeting at CBI! Better yet, a check made out to CAFB can buy much more than what we would get in a store, so please consider a direct donation to CAFB during this season. (Please note: For every pound of food donated, the Food Bank can provide the equivalent of 0.8 meals ... but, for every $1.00 donated, the Food Bank can provide 5 meals.)
CBI also hosts an annual "Chanukah Mitzvah Bazaar," which will be held this year on Sunday, November 15th. This is a different type of Chanukah Bazaar, providing an alternative to the customary holiday gift-giving. Instead of the usual commercial gifts, shoppers can give, in honor of their friends and relatives, gifts that empower people in need to help themselves, help our environment, and help those in need with relief supplies. For each donation you make in someone's name, you receive a beautiful card to send with a description of the charity receiving the donation in their honor ... what a great way to bring meaning to the season!
If you want more ideas regarding how to give back to your community, please let us know. We are glad to help match you up with something meaningful for you ... and look below for more CBI projects!
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Another great opportunity to give back to the Austin community is through participating in the Interfaith Hospitality Network. CBI is the only synagogue in Austin to house and feed homeless families on a rotating basis with other faith communities. Each time we "host" the families, we may have up to four families as our guests during each week-long hosting period. During that week, our guests sleep in 4 rooms on the 3rd Floor of Education Building, shower in the Clergy Suite, and eat dinners in Smith Auditorium. Our guests join us at approximately 5:30pm Sunday night and leave each morning at approximately 7am. During the day, children are at school or day care, and parents are either working or searching for employment.
Our next two hosting dates are: October 18-25 and December 6-13, 2009. Every moment our guests are on our campus, we have volunteers hosting them who do the following:
- Help set up 4 "bedrooms for our guests;
- Bring food for the families to use for breakfast, lunch, and snacks;
- Cook food for our guests' dinners;
- Spend the night at the congregation to host overnight;
- Help serve and clean up after the meals;
- Drive a trailer to and from our congregation;
- Help clean up after our guests leave;
- Hang out with the families on the weekends;
- Entertain the children by bringing crafts, other activities, their dogs, or their own children;
- and more!
For a successful hosting, we need 45+ people to volunteer! Please consider joining us. You can spend more time with other volunteers or share your caring with our guests. We are a diverse group of volunteers who are:
- Retired ... working ... looking;
- Single ... married, looking and not looking;
- Female and male;
- CBI members ... former members ... and even some members of other congregations;
- Young and older;
- Warm and wonderful;
- People wanting to help!
IHN at CBI is fortunate to have wonderful support from CBI clergy, staff, and members. To ask questions or to get involved, please contact Meryl Wasserman (wasswomen@aol.com) or Sandy Bootz (sbootz@yahoo.com). For more information about Family Promise, a national effort that offers comprehensive and integrated programs to assist low-income families, see http://www.familypromise.org/. To learn more about the local administration of IHN, visit the web-site of Foundation for the Homeless (http://www.foundationhomeless.org/).
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Congregation Beth Israel Blood Drive - Last year's Fall Blood Drive gathered 18 pints of blood. Please help us collect even more this time!
Dates: October 17, 2010 ... January 23, 2011 ... May 22, 2011
Location: CBI Large Parking Lot, 3901 Shoal Creek Boulevard, ATX 78756
Please sign up online: www.inyourhands.org
Sponsor Code:CBI
Zip Code: 78756
Please eat prior to donation. Please bring your Photo ID.
Some health conditions, medications, and travel may temporarily or permanently prevent people from donating blood. All donors must be in good health, at least 17 years old, and weigh at least 110 pounds to donate blood. If you have questions, contact the nurse manager at 512-206-1108 or donorsuitability@inyourhands.org. Or - To find out if you are eligible to donate: http://www.inyourhands.org/whocandonate.php
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