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Volunteer Opportunities

03/02/2022 11:23:15 AM

Mar2

Looking to volunteer? Need a b’nai mitzvah project? Here are ways to help people in our community. 

Healing House Meals Needed Week of March 6-12 

Healing House provides medical respite care to patients experiencing homelessness who are too sick to be on the streets or in a traditional shelter. The program is run by Just Dane, with case management provided by The Road Home. TBE volunteers cook meals for the residents and staff on a quarterly basis. Volunteers are asked to assist by cooking and dropping off meals at 5:00 pm each day at Healing House, 303 Lathrop St., Madison, WI 53726.

Our team has signed up to provide meals the week of March 6–12, 2022. Volunteers are not currently being allowed in the house, so we will not be serving, visiting, or cleaning up. We are asking for two volunteers for each night to cook a meal for up to eight people. Menu items (not specific recipes) will be assigned to you by Linda Berman, our dinner coordinator, the week before. The sign-up link is below. Please contact Cathy Rotter with any questions. 

To help with this mitzvah, please sign up here. 

Serving Meals at the Catholic Multicultural Center 

One of TBE’s many initiatives to feed those in need is done in partnership with Catholic Multicultural Center (CMC). The CMC provides free meals every day to approximately 80 south side community members and people experiencing homelessness. Since 2019 TBE members have been assisting in this effort by providing volunteer services before the pandemic, and by cooking thousands of meals during the pandemic. During this time, at least 32 Temple cooks have stepped forward and cooked more than 3,300 meals for hungry neighbors. We are so grateful for all that they have done!

Until the CMC is able to return to in-person service, TBE will continue to cook meals every other Wednesday for the CMC to hand out. Cooks prepare a hot dish for 20, using a provided recipe, and a TBE member collects the dishes and delivers them to the CMC. If you would like to participate in this effort, please join us by using the sign-up link below! Please contact Sue Levy, for the recipes or if you have questions.

Sign up here. 

Thoreau Food Home Deliveries 

In May, Temple Beth El volunteers will be delivering food to families whose children attend Thoreau or Lincoln Elementary Schools. Volunteer drivers will meet at 8:30 am at Westminster Church, 4100 Nakoma Rd., to receive the food and delivery routes. We expect each route to take about 1 hour to deliver. Our delivery dates are Friday, May 13 and Friday, May 27.

Each car should be able to hold up to 16 boxes in the trunk and back seat, so an SUV is helpful but not necessary. You can sign up as a single driver, but it is helpful to bring a friend to help with navigation and schlepping. If you can help us deliver food, please tell us what day or days you can come, using the sign-up link below. If two people are signing up using a single car, just enter one driver's name and enter a quantity of two when the second screen appears. If you have any questions, please contact Vic Levy at 608-273-4527.

Sign up here.

Help Seniors, Immigrants and Refugees through Jewish Social Services 
As more of us are vaccinated and there are expanded ways to safely interact, requests for volunteers are coming in quickly. Jewish Social Services of Madison (JSS) is looking for volunteers to help with Shabbat services for seniors, in-person events beginning this summer, friendly visitors, shopping partners, and other tasks. If you enjoy working with seniors, please contact JSS volunteer coordinator Paul Borowsky via email or call 608-442-4083.


JSS is also receiving more refugee families for resettlement, and there are a number of ways you can help:


•    Join the TBE Immigrant and Refugee Rights Action Team to get involved with setting up apartments for arriving refugees. If you are interested in volunteering or have questions about what we are doing to support refugees and immigrants, please contact one of the co-chairs of our Immigrant and Refugee Rights Action Team, Lynn Silverman or Erica Serlin. 
•    JSS has a van that can be used for larger families. If you are comfortable picking up and driving the van or have a larger vehicle yourself, we are always looking to have a good size pool of drivers. Contact Paul Borowsky via email or call 608-442-4083.
•    Volunteers are needed to help newcomers learn to ride the bus. Newcomers are very much dependent on public transportation when they first arrive, to go to appointments and get to work. If you’re willing to ride the bus and know how to use the maps function on your smartphone, you will be able to help us teach our new neighbors how to navigate their new home. Contact Becca Schwartz via email or call 608-960-7883.
•    You can help adult learners develop English language and literacy skills. Thanks to the Jewish Federation of Madison through the Cheryl Rosen Weston Fund, Jewish Social Services is partnering with the Literacy Network to offer English as a Second Language, GED preparation, and general literacy skills. Check for further descriptions, specific training dates, applications, and other details on the Literacy Network website.


New volunteer opportunities are posted here.

April 30, 2025 2 Iyar 5785