Caring Community

Caring Community coordinator for September:

Phyllis Kaufman - (978) 443-9647 phylliislk@comcast.net

The mission of Congregation B’nai Torah’s Caring Community is to make all members and families feel connected to and cared for as part of the entire temple community. The committee works closely with the rabbi and other temple staff members to ensure that all congregants’ needs are met in a timely and respectful manner.

The Caring Community provides help to congregants in three ways:

1. By acknowledging and celebrating joyous occasions, such as births.
2. By delivering support services during times of illness.
3. By offering comfort and assistance to congregants who are experiencing the death of a loved one throughout the mourning period.

Caring Community support includes the following services:

TLC Bag Comforting Items

• Ongoing communication with members and families during times of need;

• Rides for sick individuals or family members to and from medical appointments, temple services, and school activities, or for other important tasks;

• Meals for congregants who are ill or in mourning and their families;

• Friendly visits to hospitalized or homebound congregants;

• TLC (“Temple Loving Care”) bags filled with comforting items, such as books, copies of prayers, CDs, coffee mugs, and food;

• Hand-knitted healing shawls and baby blankets made by fellow temple members;

• Referrals to programs and services offered by the larger Jewish community.

Resources

You may be interested in:

1. The B’nai Torah Mourner’s Guide

2. The JF&CS “Welcome Baby” program

Testimonials

Beneficiaries have praised the Caring Community's outreach efforts:

Healing Shawl

“The calls, help, and TLC bag that we got from the Caring Community when Mom died made us feel like the temple really cares about us.”

“When I was sick, the rides, meals, healing shawl, and friendly visits from the Caring Community made a real difference for me and my family.”

“We love the baby bag and blanket, and are very thankful for the baby care resources provided by Caring Community.”

Volunteers needed

Baby Blanket

Congregation B’nai Torah’s Caring Community is actively looking for new monthly coordinators and to expand its list of supporters to ensure that the committee will continue to be able to provide help to congregants whenever asked and without causing a burden on volunteers.

As a monthly coordinator, you will only work on an as-needed basis and perform three tasks: to contact fellow congregants or who are ill, have lost a loved one, or are celebrating a mitzvah (such as the birth of a baby); to determine the ways in which the committee can help them; and to arrange for them to receive the support they need from the committee’s supporters. Best of all, back-up support from the committee co-chairs is always available.

As a committee supporter, you will receive periodic e-mail blasts from the monthly coordinators requesting help such as delivering Temple Loving Care (TLC) bags to congregants who are ill or in mourning, making “Friendly Visitor” visits to homebound or hospitalized members, or providing rides to temple and school events and medical appointments for congregants or their family members who need them. You can choose to volunteer at times that work best for you and for tasks with which you are most comfortable.

Interested? Please contact committee co-chairs: Laurie Nee at lauriejnee@gmail.com or 978–875–0295, or Nancy Donchin at ndonchin@verizon.net or 508–877–5630.

Support the Caring Community

When making a donation to the temple, please consider donating to the Caring Community Fund. All donations are used to defray the cost of supplies for TLC bags and other expenses associated with the delivery of support services.

To learn more about the Caring Community, please send an email to caring@bnaitorah.com. Thank you, as always, for your time and support. We wouldn’t be a true Caring Community without you!