Community Contact Information:
Temple Beth Emeth
Ann Arbor, Michigan
http://www.templebethemeth.org
Goals:
- To create a permanent, viable food pantry through partnerships with other faith groups and through accreditation from the appropriate agencies.
- To run a program that is accessible to all parts of the community and can be adapted to serve all parts of the community.
Preparation:
Temple Beth Emeth was asked to join the Back Door Food Drive program two years after it began. The program was started by a local church. To be successful, the program requires three things: a close partnership with a large local food bank; a reserve of volunteers from the community; and a facility for storing, organizing and distributing food.
Project Implementation:
Volunteers from the synagogue and its partners receive and store the food, which comes in from the food banks every Monday morning. On Monday evening, another group of volunteers organizes and packs the food for distribution. A third group of volunteers comes in and opens the BDFD from 4 to 7 p.m. every Thursday to distribute the food to those in need.
Temple Beth Emeth also runs an annual High Holy Day food drive to collect food for the local food bank, which then allocates the food to BDFD and other area food pantries. To help augment the produce available at the BDFD, a vegetable garden was started on a small tract of land behind the synagogue building.
The dual function of the BDFD (collecting and distributing food) allows many groups to get involved: For example, youth groups or religious school classes volunteer at one of the three weekly times, B'nai Mitzvot students request food donations instead of presents, and religious school classes run their own food drives to support the pantry.
Temple Beth Emeth contributes a yearly donation to the BDFD, and individual members also donate to support the program. In addition, members of the congregation often drop off food and other supplies for the program.
Results:
After Temple Beth Emeth joined the BDFD, the program was able to dobule the number of bags of food distributed each week and add fresh produce and frozen meats to the bags. Toilet paper and other essentials are also now included in the distribution. The local Muslim social service organization has also joined the BDFD, thus enhancing the interfaith aspect of the program and expanding the pool of volunteers.
