Tikkun Olam

Shul members spearheading Tikkun Olam at our shul have designated February as the time they will initiate a drive to provide gently-used warm winter outerwear plus T-shirts, socks and underwear to the 30-40 homeless men who seek out John’s Place every Tuesday night.

John’s Place, located in the Parish Hall of St. Agnes Church in Greenport, provides the men with a warm place to sleep, hot showers, and clothing from November through April. John’s Place also provides dinner at night, morning breakfast, and a brown-bag lunch to-go.

Tikkun Olam will place a large container at the kitchen door on Thursday, Feb. 1, to be stationed there through February and emptied throughout the month when filled. Tikkun Olam is hopeful that shul members will respond as generously to the drive for clothing (M-L-XL) for John’s Place as they have for various CAST drives, most recently Toys For Tots, which was so successful in December that CAST personnel had to empty the overflowing big red barrel several times during the drive.

Veronica Kaliski told The Shofar that if people have items to donate but can’t get to the synagogue to deposit them in the barrel, she will provide pick-up service. To arrange for pickup, email ctigreenport@gmail.com with a message for Veronica Kaliski

This year’s “School Supply Drive” for the children of CAST clients was a success beyond anyone’s wildest expectation. According to Veronica Kaliski, speaking for the shul’s Tikkun Olam group, she had to ask CAST to empty the big red barrel by the kitchen door twice during the campaign, and still school supplies kept coming — pencils, glue sticks, paperclips, notebooks, dividers, rulers, scissors, index cards, markets, pens and backpacks to hold all that stuff.  The campaign ended on August 21.

Tikkun Olam had asked shul members to fill the bin to overflowing, not thinking the bin would be filled to overflowing three times. Tikkun Olam thanks all contributors for helping kids get a head start on a successful school year with all the new supplies to inspire them.

Also overflowing are the veggie beds at Common Ground, harvested by Madelyn Rothman, and contributed to CAST.

This year’s “School Supply Drive” for the children of CAST clients will begin on Friday, July 28, when CAST will deliver the big red bin to collect the donations that will get kids off to a good start in the school year. The shul’s Tikkun Olam Initiative is behind the effort in our shul with a call to our members to fill the bin to overflowing.

Where’s the bin? Admittedly, it was a moving target last year, but not this year. Veronica Kaliski told The Shofar that the bin will be on the ramp by the kitchen door at the shul — easy to find, protected from weather, away from temptation from passers-by, and carefully monitored by the TOI group.

And what are we hoping to find stuffed in the bin? Pencils, glue sticks, paperclips, notebooks, dividers, rulers, scissors, index cards, markers, pens and, of course, backpacks to hold all that stuff — plus school books and homework assignments from the teachers, to be sure.

The drive begins on Friday, July 28, and will run until Monday, August 21 — so head to the school supplies aisles that are jam-packed now with all the stuff that makes back-to-school so much fun.

Other TOI news

In other TOI news, Ron and Madelyn Rothman attended the graduation of preschoolers who participated in the Parent Child Plus Program, which the shul has supported. CTI’s logo was on the event program and on the invitation as well, Madelyn said.

The garden at Common Ground, maintained by TOI members, provides fresh produce for the CAST food pantry, including fennel, beets, swiss chard, peppers, onions, kale garlic and herbs.