Bikur Holim 
 

The Reichman family honors the memory of their beloved daughter Mandy with this weekly Mitzvah project. Bagged lunches of sandwiches, fruit and desserts are prepared on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. Each Wednesday, our truck visits a neighborhood in Elizabeth, where families have learned they can count on us for help.

 

Shoes for the Soul: A way to help needy and homeless children
"Shoes for the Soul" is a nonprofit organization which began in Florida in 2004. We at Temple Emanu-El have accepted the challenge to create a Tri-State area chapter to collect, sort, mail and distribute shoes to the needy children in our midst.  The Temple community will receive a postcard which will request a specific shoe type and size range before each collection. Collection bins are placed around the Temple.   
 

The ARK housing rehabilitation group is a joint venture with St. Marks Episcopal Church in Plainfield. Founded by members of both congregations almost 20 years ago, this interfaith, interracial group does minor repairs for low-income, mostly elderly homeowners, many of whom have been in danger of losing their homes. In addition, ARK's social events build a bridge of friendship between the two communities. ARK welcomes all volunteers and tries to match skills and availability with the needs of the active projects. 

 

This group provides love, warmth and comfort to children/teens with cancer and to our troops in Iraq through their gifts of handmade afghans. Blankets of Love meets monthly in the Temple Emanu-El youth lounge to knit and crochet. Bring your works in progress as we mend the world, one blanket at a time.  
 

Twice each year, during the December holiday season and again for two weeks in the summer Temple Emanu-El serves as a host home for several families from our area.   Our work with the Interfaith Housing the Homeless program includes providing comfortable accommodations (turning classrooms into bedrooms), meals, companionship, transportation and a variety of necessities and niceties donated by our members. 

 

Since 2000, Temple Emanu-El members have participated in this mentoring program for a class we adopted from the Plainfield public school system. To help these children succeed in their studies and in life, we offer tutoring, guidance, and encouragement as well as school supplies and snacks. 

 

Serving the needs of seniors and the community with monthly Friendship Group programming and luncheons. Through the Eldernet Helpline our volunteers provide transportation to appointments and shopping, social contacts and home visits.

 

Repairing the world often begins at home. Our volunteers serve Temple members in times of need with home delivered meals, challahs on Fridays, Shloshim calls, and companionship.