Tag: Outreach

Outreach Gifts for the Community!

For the month of May, Jean and Graham Dragushan are sponsoring the Shabbat Gift Bag Program in honour of the upcoming wedding of their daughter, Ellen.

Shabbat Gift Bags are being delivered to community members every month. This warm-hearted project began as an Outreach initiative to reach congregants in need of connection or support on Shabbat. The project is growing, and the Outreach Committee hopes to reach every member of the community over the next few months. If you would like to volunteer or support Outreach in their many projects, please contact the shul office, 250 382-0615.

Hello! How are you?

The Shul’s Outreach committee and crew have been contacting shul members by phone since March 2020. Those we’ve been unable to speak with by phone, we’ve been emailing. Staying in touch is essential to community.

We sincerely thank the forty people who have volunteered to phone the congregation over the past three years. And thank you to the twenty phoners who volunteered over these last few months… We recognize that it takes a special person to be a phoner; it’s not for everyone. And we truly appreciate those who have the skills. We’ve had some terrific conversations and it’s good to know that the community is doing quite well.

If, through unintentional oversight on our part, you were not contacted and you wish a phone call, please contact Outreach through the shul office at info@congregationemanuel.ca, and we will definitely be in touch with you.

Outreach Gifts for the Community!

For the month of April, Michael and Marlene Landa are sponsoring the Shabbat Gift Bag Program in honour of their grandson Eli’s Bar Mitzvah.

Shabbat Gift Bags are being delivered to community members every week. This warm-hearted project began as an Outreach initiative to reach congregants in need of connection or support on Shabbat. The project is growing, and the Outreach Committee hopes to reach every member of the community over the next few months. If you would like to volunteer or support Outreach in their many projects, please contact the shul office, 250 382-0615.

Sepora Mayim Jacobson, special Meal Train

Sepora Mayim Jacobson, wonderful dancer and yoga therapist, will have Deep Brain Stimulation surgery on March 15. Sepora Mayim has been challenged with PD for 12 years and the surgery is known to help people with PD regain some mobility.

Sepora Mayim’s surgery recovery period will last about 6 weeks. Please sign up for the Meal Train for Sepora Mayim, beginning on March 20, at https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/mqzn93

Summary of event details

Partnerships

The generosity of COBS Bread Bakery makes such a positive difference to families who frequent the Quadra Village Community Centre.

Every Monday at 6:00 PM, Brian Saunders, representing Avodah,  goes to COBS Bread at Royal Oak to be gifted with huge bags of unsold bread, rolls and wonderful pastries.

Early Tuesday morning, he unloads these treasures at the Quadra Village Community Centre where they are placed into smaller bags, ready for people to pick up.

This is another way Avodah is involved in assisting our many communities!

Join Avodah

Avodah invites you join us as we consider new projects.

To get the Zoom link for our next meeting (7:00 PM 8 February), please contact Aaron through the shul office: info@congregationemanuel.ca

Tikkun Olam: Warm Feet and Happy Hearts

socks

“Of all the gifts we receive, the importance of socks cannot be overemphasized”

Rev. Al Tysick

Every year since 2005, Emanu-El member Michael Bloomfield has helped put socks on the feet of Victoria’s homeless population. To date, over 125,000 pairs of socks valued at $562,500 have been distributed. In 2019, Michael won the prestigious National Philanthropy Day award for Outstanding Fundraising Volunteer.

You can be a part of this year’s campaign by volunteering some time or donating to the Victoria Cool Aid Society: https://coolaid.org/socks

Michael first reached out to McGregor Socks, who responded generously. Today, PVH Legwear Canada makes McGregor socks and, together with the Victoria Cool Aid Society and other local social services agencies, Michael’s efforts distribute about 10,000 pairs of socks a year to the homeless in Victoria, Duncan, Nanaimo and Salt Spring Island. La-Z-Boy Furniture generously ships the socks from Mississauga to Victoria.

All of this is possible because Michael’s compassion became action. Cold and wet feet are prone to infection, nail and skin diseases, fungus, and frostbite. 

“A gift of socks is a gift of health for our neighbours who are homeless“

Don McTavish, Cool Aid’s Director of Housing and Shelters

Twenty-five pairs of socks costs $25 but any amount helps. 

For information or to volunteer, contact Michael Bloomfield though the Emanu-El office: info@congregationemanuel.ca

“These socks are a powerful manifestation of the teaching, Love your neighbour as you love yourself.”

Rabbi Harry

Outreach Looking for Volunteers!

Outreach is looking for volunteers interested in spending quality one-on-one time with some of our congregation’s most valuable members! 

  • We need people interested in spending from two hours a month to two hours a week in homes or taking members into the community for a little company. 
  • Volunteers will be matched with members whom they will see on a regular schedule. The Outreach Committee will support the volunteers and respond to any questions or concerns they may have. 
  • If this might interest you, or if you would like more information, please contact Rachel.
  • Note: Due to the vulnerability of some our community members, volunteers must be fully vaccinated.

Thank you for reading.

Thank you to our Volunteer Phoners!

Outreach is so grateful to those of you who stepped forward yet again to make calls to our Emanu-El community. Thanks as well to those ‘first time callers’ who joined their ranks to wish everyone Shanah Tovah.

Your phone calls allow the shul to keep in touch with community members, and learn if anything is needed. The last seven months have shown there have been challenges for us all. Outreach salutes the many volunteers who make our little shul so vibrant in normal times, and so caring in these extraordinary times.