Feeding the Disabled

Congregants provides monthly dinner to residents of a local apartment complex for citizens with physical disabilities.

Community Contact Information:
Anshe Hesed Fairmount Temple
Beachwood, OH
www.fairmounttemple.org

Goals:

  • Provide a regularly scheduled meal for people with physical disabilities.
  • Engage congregants in the mitzvah of bikur cholim.
  • Create opportunities for a recurring tzedakah project.

Overview:
Congregants meet with residents to plan dinner programs and additional events for disabled people living semi-independently in a local apartment complex.

Preparation:
The program is coordinated to provide dinner at the end of the month when many of the residents will likely have used up their food stamp allotments. Congregants scheduled to cook together on a certain day meet ahead of time to shop for ingredients and prepare a timely meal for residents.

Project Implementation:
Congregants cook and serve dinners to residents of all ages. After cooking, the congregants eat and talk with the residents and plan for the next dinner, taking notes for the next group of cooks.

Results:
By making the program a recurring event, the social action committee encourages congregants to build long-lasting relationships with those who they are assisting, and allows many congregants the opportunity to help out, as they are available.