From the Desk of Rabbi Batsheva Meiri - Congregation Beth ...

ROOM IN THE INN (RITI)
The Tzedakah Committee, along with the
Social Justice Committee, has made a
commitment for our temple to team up with St.
Mary’s Episcopal Church and St. Marks
Lutheran Church to sponsor a mobile women’s
shelter twice a year. Together we will provide
nightly shelter, a dinner, a simple breakfast and a bag lunch for
up to 12 women. St. Mary’s has agreed to serve as the host site
for the women. Members of other faith groups currently
involved in this program say that they’re getting much more out
of it than they’re putting into it. During their overnight stay, the
women can maintain their dignity and often enjoy feeling
‘normal’ for a few hours.
Room in the Inn is a local program sponsored by Homeward
Bound. The women arrive at the host facility around 6 PM each
evening for a week, stay overnight, and are picked up by 7 AM.
They can then to get ready to go to their jobs or to continue to
work towards getting their life back together. RITI is a
transition phase for these women as they await permanent
housing – our other program, Hope to Home Asheville.
We’ll need several CBHT volunteers to help out the teams for
the weeks of July 3-9 and Dec. 4-9. Volunteer training will be
offered ahead of time. Members of the 3 congregations are
meeting Monday April 11 th at 6:30 PM @ St. Marys (corner of
Charlotte & Macon St.) to look at the best way to cover the
assignments for our scheduled weeks. Please contact Sherrill or
Ted Zoller @ 658-1748 if you’re interested in getting involved
with this project. There will also be a RITI Volunteer signup
sheet near the stage in Unger Hall.
The Mitzvah of Shalach Manot
Much appreciation to Linda Kavanaugh, Lauren Rosenthal, and
our 5 th and 6 th grade students for assembling Shaloch Manot
Purim bags which were given to members of our Jewish
community who are homebound or in facilities. And we
couldn’t have completed this mitzvah without all our volunteer
drivers who delivered the gift bags to area recipients. This
annual project is co-sponsored by the CBHT Tzedakah
Committee and Jewish Family Services.
MANNA FOOD BARRELS
Don’t forget to bring food for the MANNA FOOD
BARRELS located near the entry to the office area.
From the Tzedakah Committee
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Hope To Home – Asheville
Many of you were at services Jan. 28 th when the
Rev. Heather Spencer, director of A-Hope,
addressed us on homelessness in Asheville. The
Hope to Home Asheville effort to eliminate
homelessness now has 3 teams formed, with CBHT volunteers
on the first and second support teams. The team members are
committed to be a friend and mentor for their clients as they
strive to adjust to their new lives and gain the skills to become
stable members of the community.
If you are interested in learning more about being a support
team volunteer, please contact Ted or Sherrill Zoller at 658-
1748 or tzoller@relloz.com (Ted) zbirdlady@relloz.com
(Sherrill). We are also accepting monetary donations to go
towards the Hope to Home project. If you wish to make a
financial contribution, send a check made out to the CBHT
Tzedakah Committee and mark it ‘Hope to Home Asheville’.
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
If you were one of our many volunteers who worked on the
interfaith build in West Asheville last fall, you’re invited to help
celebrate the completion of the 12 th interfaith Habitat house on
Tues. April 5 th @ noon. There will be a brief program to
dedicate the house and present the key to its new family,
Andrea Fernandez and her daughter, followed by a tour of their
new house. Many of you had a chance to meet Andrea and
Jayalle at a Friday night service in Nov. Directions to the house
can be found @ www.ashevillehabitat.org.
Monthly Shelter Meal
The Tzedakah Committee provides a noon
meal once a month for up to 100 veterans at
the Veterans’ Rehabilitation Headquarters on
Tunnel Road. You can help sustain our
project by becoming a ‘Sponsor of the
Month’ by simply writing a check for a minimum of $50 to:
CBHT Tzedakah Fund and labeling it “Sponsor of the Month.”
Sponsor of the Month
Linda Linda & & Larry Larry Kavanaugh
Kavanaugh
Many thanks to Bonnie Reddish for preparing the March meal
and to Jerry Koross , Judi Goloff, Lynda Kavanaugh, Sue
Lerner, and Pat Reader for serving the meal.
Finally, we invite you to join the Tzedakah Committee
and to give us new ideas and input
Sherrill Zoller, (658-1748)
Tzedakah Committee Chair