Social Action had a really busy Fall! In September, we held our Annual High Holy Days Food Drive. We distributed 300 shopping bags (donated by Trader Joe’s) and collected nearly 200 full grocery bags, plus enough food to fill our own pantry and still have enough to also donate to Tri-CYA, a Huntington agency dedicated to supporting local youth and their families, and to the Huntington Food Pantry, an all-volunteer food pantry serving the Huntington area. We started our Winter Coat and Blanket Drive on November 3rd. All the warm items collected were donated to the Helping Hands Rescue Mission.
Then we jumped right into our HIHI Drive. Temple Beth El has been participating in the Huntington Interfaith Homeless Initiative since its inception in 2004. We have been providing meals and a warm place to sleep for those who can’t afford shelter and 3 meals a day. Since COVID, our program has transitioned into a single space where our guests can reside the entire day. We will be providing dinner for 24 men on Wednesdays from December 1st to March 31st. We share these nights with Huntington Jewish Center and East Northport Jewish Center. For those who would like to provide the dinners, in part or fully, please contact Paula Klein at paulakhome@gmail.com. Look for flyers requesting donations for the program.
We held our Annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner and Boutique on Sunday, November 23rd. It was well attended by around 200 community members, many of whom left happy with their boutique finds and/or their raffle prizes, ranging from bikes and toys to dishware, appliances and even art!
Social Action could not provide the community support that we do without the support our temple and our temple partners. You have all been extremely generous in these very trying times. Let’s continue to work together to make a difference to our neighbors.