September 10, 2010
Interested in a quick mitzvah opportunity that helps to feed others? Here’s your chance. This Fall we will be picking up bags of extra bread and delivering it to Easter Seals on South Congress. It’s just that simple, and we will be taking turns with the daily responsibility.
Randy Rosen (who runs the KEEP AUSTIN FED non-profit) is leaving for a one-month vacation after joining us for Rosh Hashanah. His small happy crew could use some help bringing in the (baked) goods to those in need, so if you are interested in joining our mitzvah group give me a call or shoot me an email requesting more details.
Thanks!
Jane Hardin
443-4747
r.jane.hardin@gmail.com
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SATURDAY JANUARY 23 — FOOD BANK DAY FROM 1 TO 4
SIGN UP NOW!
Mitzvah Director Jane Hardin says:
Thanks to everyone who volunteered during Christmas, either at Seton Hospital or with Randy downtown, handing out goodies to the homeless there. THIS MONTH we have the opportunity to work together as a group again:
Capital Area Food Bank, 1PM – 4PM, Saturday, 1/23/09, Warehouse located at 8201 S. Congress
There are ten volunteer slots available, so if you are interested email me right away. You will then receive an info sheets/directions for that afternoon. We had a lot of fun doing this last year, so join us if you can!
We don’t have a group volunteer activity scheduled for the MLK Day of Service this year, but if you are interested in participating on Saturday 1/16/09, check out the various open projects on the Hands on Central Texas website — http://handsoncentraltexas.org.
Spread a little holiday joy to our Christian friends in need –
TWO OPTIONS FOR CHRIST-VAH SERVICE
Hospitality Volunteer at Seton Hospital – Give the goyim the day off! Time slots (4 hour increments) are available for both Christmas Eve Day AND Christmas Day, but are filling up fast. There are a variety of possible assigned areas, such as:
– Serving food in the Cafeteria
– Providing coffee/conversation/support in ICU or ER Waiting Rooms
– Help visitors get around from the Information Desk
There WILL be a volunteer orientation on Tuesday, 12/22/09 at 5PM. If you are interested in this project, you should give Jane Hardin your name and email address by this Sunday. Efforts will be made to give you your preferred shift, but please let me know if you are limited to certain days/times, too.
This project is annually coordinated through the Congregation Beth Israel; this is our first year to volunteer for another synagogue’s program!
FEED THE HUNGRY/CLOTHE THE COLD – Everyone is also invited to come via car or bike to meet Randy Rosens and other Minyanites on Christmas morning (9AM to Noon) at I-35 and 7th Street to distribute non-perishable and ready-to-eat food (plastic utensils and napkins included), new tube socks, blankets, energy bars, or anything else you wish to donate/distribute.Email Randy Rosenswith questions. This one’s an obvious choice for those unable to commit in advance, but please feel welcome to participate in both!! Unlike most of our group Mitzvah Projects, this month we will be working in pairs or small groups. We could all still meet up at Katz’s or elsewhere Friday night, if so desired… Does anyone want to organize dinner arrangements?
–Jane Hardin, 443-4747, jfeigenson@austin.rr.com
The Christmas Day Mitzvah Project suddenly came together when minyanite Randy Rosens was discovered harvesting day-old muffins from the Taste No Evil trailer for his Keep Austin Fed non-profit. Many more details to come, but for now, just know that Randy’s helping us put together a group to distribute food to hungry — probably homeless — people on December 25. If you’ve always wanted to fulfill this traditional Jewish mitzvah, save the date and stay tuned.
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UPDATE 11/24/09
Be on the lookout for a group Mitzvah Day coming soon — perhaps Christmas Day to relief our Christian friends who would typically be volunteering that day! In the meantime, please read about the fabulously rewarding volunteer opportunity brought to us by Susan Finkelman:
SHOMRIM are fellow Jews who keep prayerful watch over the deceased—to all who need it, round the clock. Seven local congregations that form the Austin Shmirah are now recruiting shomrim for a general pool from which all can draw in times of need.
Whether or not you have ever served as a shomer, we encourage you to consider doing so through Austin Shmirah. No training is needed. You may serve just once in your life, or as often as the need arises and your schedule allows (you will never be pressured to serve when not convenient for you). Your first shift may be in the company of a more experienced shomer if you wish, and you may even choose which congregations you wish to serve.
For more general information about shmirah – click here or contact Shmirah Coordinator Gail Tostso.
To sign up as a shomer for deceased across the Austin Jewish community — fill out the Austin Shmirah Signup Sheet. Your information will be passed on to shmirah coordinators at the congregations you checkmark; they pledge to use it only for shmirah-related purposes.
To speak with a fellow Minyanite with shomer experience — email Susan.
As always, please contact Jane Hardin with any questions or suggestions related to our Firepit Minyan mitzvah corps – Email Jane or call 443-4747.
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5769 Mitzah Project Report, from :
Over the past year, members of the Firepit Minyan got together half a dozen times for group Mitzvah Days. Collectively we spent approximately 225 hours working the food bank, pulling ranch duty for tiny therapy horses, toiling away on park trails, cleaning housebound Miss Ivory’s yard (“Praise the Lord!”), and spiffing up the garden at Christopher House Hospice. And there was that great Sunday in May when we came together with the Muslim and Christian community for Hands on Housing and painted that huge house in East Austin!
At our Shabbat/Sukkot Party we set a new goal of 500 service hours for 5770 – and here’s how we get started:
Next Firepit Mitzvah Day – Saturday, 10/24/09, 10AM, doing landscape work at Hospice Austin’s Christopher House.
The garden is a very meaningful spot for the resident hospice patients and their loved ones, but Christopher House has had to cut back on landscaping services. So we are going back to finish work we started in September! This is a beautiful garden, and special people eagerly await us. We need 12-15 volunteers. Email Jane with questions or to RSVP, or call with any questions – 443-4747.
Closer to the date, those who sign up will be sent further details (map, parking instructions, what to bring, etc.)
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AMERICAN (JEWISH) GOTHIC:
Yes, here we are, gardening at the Christopher House on September 11, 2009.
Who’s “we?”
Left to right: Robin Chotzinoff, Pamela Villars, Vicki Crow.
And here, of course, is Mitzvah Jane, who organized the whole thing:
Stay tuned for the next grimy adventure!
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9/11 MITZVAH DAY–we need 15 mitzvah-minded mensches to take Friday off work.
Jane Hardin will be leading the project. She says:
We won’t be doing the Manor playground construction on 9/11/09, mostly because they have all the volunteers they need now and I DON’T want to be a Project Lead without my own peeps. Sorry I couldn’t move on that faster, guys! But here’s our substitute project — actually one I’m more excited about anyway. But we’ll have to act fast! One of the great things about these pre-fab service days is that the details are laid out for us; the drawback is that I can’t reserve slots for a group and the whole Austin community is also reviewing and signing up for these projects. Here are the details, both for signing up and for our website:
September 11 is designated a Day of Service by Hands on Central Texas (a program of the United Way Capital Area). On that Friday hundreds of local volunteers, working on a wide range of volunteer projects in a single day, will once again demonstrate the power and excitement of community service! The Firepit Minyan invites you to join us in…
Garden Work at Hospice Austin’s Christopher House
Agency: Hospice Austin
Date/Time: 9/11/09, 10:00AM – 2:00PM
Description: Hospice Austin’s Christopher House needs volunteers to help spruce up their garden. The work will involve weeding, light thinning and cutting of bushes and creeping vines, small tree limbs and shrubs along the patios and sidewalks of patient’s rooms.
How to sign up: Log onto Project #27 at the Hands on Central Texas website by clicking here. Or cut and paste the link below if the hyperlink doesn’t work for you:
There are instructions on that page for registering, logging in, and signing up for the project. Do it today! We want you to sign up now to join us, before all the slots are filled!!
Jane Hardin
512-997-3800 OR 512-443-4747
jane.hardin@cancer.org
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JUNE MITZVAH DAY – SATURDAY, June 6 — 7:30 – 11:30 am
Come join us at National Trails Day — Phase I of building a trail that will connect Zilker Park to Kyle with a 34-mile trail. We’ll join other greenbelt-type volunteers in a variety of different tasks. You can see a list and pick your activity on the sign-up link. No matter which job you pick, we’ll all reconvene for a free Salt Lick lunch and swimming at Barton Springs*. Some of the jobs are suitable for all ages, but they’re filling up fast, so go to the sign-up and make the commitment.
*Eric and Gus Dexheimer invite you to participate in a cannonball contest at the diving board, if you dare. They are both very competitive.
The HANDS ON HOUSING Muslim-Jewish Work Day was full of awe, yocks, accomplishment, camaraderie and genuine productivity. Pictures coming soon.
Jane Hardin
443-4747
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February’s Minyan Mitzvah day was dirty and delightful. Like a herd of voracious locusts, we went into Ivory Scott’s yard and whupped it into shape for spring. Some of us got many free plants and cuttings in return. Gus Dexheimer, age 11, got witnessed to about the loving power of Jesus and invited to be a choir girl at Ms. Scott’s Baptist church. But when it became clear that we were a group of Jews, Ms. Scott was very understanding. “Jews are my friends,” she said. “And I’m sorry I got happy on your little girl. No, I’m not sorry. It’s good for her.” And it was. Thanks to Jane Hardin for coordinating this rewarding day, and to Meals on Wheels and More, whose wonderful staff keeps us aware of opportunities like this. Here’s a picture:
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January’s Minyan Mitzvah Day was a blast! Check out the photo taken at the Miniature Therapy Horse ranch on Saturday, 1/17/09. We cleaned sheds, painted barns, tended fences, cared for therapy ponies, trimmed branches, shoveled shit … is no job beyond our reach?! Thanks again to everyone who made it out to help – 17 of us in all (including newcomers Amy & Richard, and the Shamir family: Dana, Roy and the delightful Maya & Tamara).
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MORE MITZVAH PROJECTS IN THE WORKS:
Contact Jane (jfeigenson@austin.rr.com or 443-4747) if you have any questions about the projects above, want to sign up for a Mitzvah Day, OR have an idea you would like the Firepit Minyan group to get behind.
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MIRWAIS SCHOOL, KANDAHAR AFGHANISTAN
Read the following story from a recent New York Times. Read it right now!
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/14/world/asia/14kandahar.html
We’ve found a way to help these girls — or at least, we’re working on it. Stay tuned.
