Social Action
TBS Mitzvah Projects
TBS Social Action offers impactful, meaningful and creative “Mitzvah Projects” throughout the year, some at TBS and some off-site, taking place at our partner organizations. Our goal is to engage volunteers, of all ages and abilities, to care for and support people in need, in a variety of ways and settings. All projects involve learning about our partner organizations, the populations they serve and getting right to work.
We also support our B. Mitzvah students with their mitzvah projects as well as other temple groups with their social action activities.
To get involved, share your ideas, ask questions, and/or to join the Social Action Mailing List, please contact Heidi Shaff, Caryl Mayer and Linda Hill at socialaction@tbsneedham.org.
Monthly Bag Lunch and Necessity Collection for Homeless Shelters
Join the TBS Social Action as we collect bag lunches and breakfast foods to three homeless shelters in the Brockton area. This is a great project to do individually or as a family! Participate in this mitzvah and help us provide necessary foods and items to help feed and comfort guests in these homeless shelters! Watch TBS This Week for monthly needs list, collection sign-up and easy Covid-safe drop off procedures. Questions? Please contact socialaction@tbsneedham.org.
Volunteer at the Greater Boston Food Bank!
Please join us as we volunteer at the Greater Boston Food Bank as part of our Year-Round Mitzvah Projects. We will inspect, sort and package grocery products for distribution to hunger relief agencies. The work is fun and always enhanced by the enthusiasm of our TBS volunteers. Must be 16 to volunteer. Everyone leaves with a feeling of satisfaction having done a job to help those in need along with new friends.
Cradles to Crayons Giving Factory!
Please join TBS families and individuals for another TBS Social Action Year-Round Mitzvah Project at the Cradles to Crayons Giving Factory in Brighton. Help children in need, honor our temple's long standing tradition of helping others and have fun working with new and old temple friends at Cradles to Crayons.
Tutor Underserved Boston Public Elementary Students!
Seeking volunteers to join our TBS tradition of tutoring children at the Mozart School, a one room per grade pre-K through 5th grade school, in Roslindale for one hour per week. The Greater Boston Jewish Coalition for Literacy provides training and support for volunteers as they share their love of learning to engage readers and develop close relationships with students at the Mozart School.
Make Gratitude Cards for Our Armed Forces
Make cards for members of our Armed Forces. All supplies will be provided, just bring your creativity!
Jewish service members are always happy to know that people back home are thinking of them. The JWB Jewish Chaplains Council is a service of JCC Association, which provides for the religious, educational, and morale needs of Jewish men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces. Through this organization we will be given names and addresses of our Jewish troops abroad. Please join us in creating handmade cards for these service members.
Teens at Needham Community Farm
Join your fellow TBS teens to volunteer at the Needham Community Farm.
We’ll work hard on the farm and learn about food justice, the
farm’s mission and food donation programs for the Needham community Farm.
Project Bread Walk for Hunger!
Please join us for Cutler Park Walk for Hunger, as we build community and raise funds to support JF&CS’ Family Table and food pantries throughout Massachusetts! Strollers welcome!
Thanksgiving Pie Bake for Homeless Women and Children!
A new Social Action Mitzvah Project to TBS! All ages and abilities welcome! We will bake apple pies to help brighten Thanksgiving for women and their children at a local soup kitchen and homeless shelter. We will gather and bake together at TBS. This multigenerational event will not only provide joy to the people who we are serving, but will be a fun, bonding experience, bringing TBS families together. What better time of year to show our gratitude than at Thanksgiving?
Help Create “Birthday Boxes” for Homeless Children!
Assemble and fill “Birthday Boxes” and make birthday cards for Birthday Wishes! Birthday Wishes is an organization dedicated to improving the lives of homeless children and their families by providing joy, play, and hope through the magic of a birthday party, provided to them in a “Birthday Box” which contains everything needed to create a celebratory birthday party, from party hats to balloons to cake baking supplies.
Cleanup Hikes are Back!
Come join us, rain or shine, for a Cleanup Hike as part of the TBS Social Action Year-Round Mitzvah Projects! All ages and abilities welcome, under 15 with an adult, please. We will supply gloves and bags. Bring yourself, comfortable walking shoes, and a water bottle along with a desire to connect with fellow congregants and enjoy the great outdoors while participating in a good deed.
Food Drive to Benefit JF&CS Family Table!
The mission of Family Table is to end hunger in the Greater Boston Jewish community while serving people who need our assistance regardless of religious affiliation.
Children's Pajama Drive!
Bring in your new and gently used infant and children's sized pajamas for donation to Cradles to Crayons! All donated pajamas will be delivered when TBS works a shift in the Giving Factory
Monthly Tuna and Salmon Collection
The Temple Beth Shalom community has committed to collecting 100 of cans of tuna and 25 cans of salmon every month. This commitment is fulfilled when community members bring cans throughout the year. Please consider making this a regular part of your shopping and rhythm for when you come to TBS. Cans for donation may be placed in the “Tikkun Olam Collection Drawers” located just outside the Community Hall.The food that we provide is critical in Family Table’s effort to provide nutritious groceries to families in need. Thank you!
Preparing Meals on Christmas Day
Every year, the TBS community engages in a program that we call Project Ezra. Over 100 hot, delicious meals are prepared, packages, and hand-delivered to those who are in need. Close to 100 TBS members and families are involved in this deeply meaningful effort.
Project Ezra is funded through the TBS Feldman Outreach Fund and is coordinated in partnership with the Needham Community Council. For more information and to participate, please contact Lois Sockol at lsockol@comcast.net.
Brotherhood Blood Drive
Every December, the TBS Brotherhood proudly sponsors our Red Cross blood drive. Please join us in performing the mitzvah of giving blood! As a community, we annually contribute over 100 units of blood. According to the American Red Cross, ours is one of most successful blood drives on their calendar. We provide bagels & lox, juice, and other sweets for all donors. Each year, we are in need of donors and volunteers.
Greater Community Opportunities
Donate to JF&CS Family Table
Family Table of JF&CS provides a full set of groceries (including perishables) to more than 500 enrolled households each month. We also provide food to anyone who comes to us in an emergency. Over the past several months, not only have we continued to meet the needs of our enrolled clients, we have also responded to many emergencies, providing critically needed food to families who are struggling with lost jobs and lost income. Many were living paycheck to paycheck prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and they are suddenly left with no means of support.
For many years, Temple Beth Shalom commits to providing Family Table with 100 cans of tuna and salmon each month. Since the pandemic has not allowed us to easily collect these items at TBS, we found another way to meet our commitment and help Family Table with the very important and critical work the agency is doing. To date, over 30 TBS families have made small monetary donations to allow us to bulk purchase tuna and salmon and get it directly to Family Table for their monthly distributions. Our supportive and kind community been able to exceed our goal of 100 cans each month for March, April, AND May! Let’s keep this going through the summer! Can you please help and donate $5, $10, or $20? Please click the very simple link here and if you have any questions, please reach out to TBS’ Family Table Liaison, Lori Shaer. THANK YOU!
In Person Volunteering at Community Servings
The TBS Community Response to Hunger has partnered with Community Servings to help provide meals across the Boston area for those in need. Community Servings actively engages the community to provide medically tailored, nutritious, scratch-made meals to chronically and critically ill individuals and their families. Volunteers can expect to help with tasks like peeling and chopping vegetables, portioning and packaging food, and packing meal bags for delivery to Community Servings Clients. We look forward to this exciting opportunity for TBS members to support people in need! Please contact Jessica Baim with any questions.