Tikkun Olam - Repairing the World
Ecumenical Hunger Program (EHP) needs our help!
- With the change in weather, EHP has been bombarded with requests for blankets. Please consider donating blankets or other warm coverings. Donations can be dropped off Monday through Friday from 9am - 5pm. They are located at 2411 Pulgas Avenue in East Palo Alto.
- EHP is looking for a minivan or SUV for a large family who currently has no means of transportation. One of the children requires multiple doctor appointments and the father is disabled and bedridden.
- EHP is also looking for a small sedan for a young woman who recently moved into a low-income housing unit in Palo Alto, and there is no bus service at night from her job in East Palo Alto to her new apartment. She has no family here who can help her out. Walking home alone for 5 miles in the dark after she gets off work is very dangerous, and she can't afford to use Uber or Lyft on a regular basis.
Plant a Tree for the New Year
L'Olam Va’ed, Kol Emeth's environmental support group whose goal is to protect our precious planet, invites you to plant a tree for the new year—5785—which we are calling the "Year of the Trees." As we all know, trees are a central image in our Jewish lives, calling our beloved Torah, Etz Chayim, the Tree of Life. In a few weeks, we will re-engage with our creation story of Breishit (Genesis) when we encounter the trees in Gan Eden (Paradise). Trees enable us to live and breathe, and with the fires, hurricanes, and other natural calamities, we need trees now more than ever. Please consider supporting Kol Emeth's ongoing fundraiser for the National Forest Foundation. Our goal is to plant another 5,785 trees this High Holiday season!
Tikkun Olam Year-Round Opportunities
Ecumenical Hunger Program (EHP) Holiday Food Distribution
Share in a mitzvah with other organizations to help the Ecumenical Hunger Program (EHP) distribute food to needy individuals and families in East Palo Alto. The lines are long; the need is great. This is a wonderful opportunity for individuals and families with children in junior high school and above to help those who are less fortunate.
Shalom Bayit, Adopt-a Family program
Every year, Shalom Bayit (Peace in the House) assists Jewish clients who are in transition. They have fled abusive relationships, walked away from violence and have to re-build their lives. Consider making a donation at shalom-bayit.org.
Holiday Projects
During the Christmas and Thanksgiving seasons, we distribute food at the Ecumenical Hunger Program in East Palo and deliver gifts (e.g., food baskets and kitchen supplies) to the Haven Family House, a transitional home for families in Menlo Park. For more information, please contact the office.
Jewish Coalition for Literacy
If you want to be a reading tutor in a local public school for children in grades K-3, contact JCL. After going through one three-hour training session, volunteers are asked to spend an hour per week at a site convenient to them. Morning, afternoon, and evening hours are available. Several volunteers from Kol Emeth have been doing this for years.
Matanot L’Evyonim
On Purim we raise money, generally for global organizations in need. Our current organization is IsraAID. We also collaborate with our religious school to coordinate a Tikkun Olam activity during the carnival.
Annual Mitzvah Day
The Palo Alto Jewish Community Center coordinates an annual Mitzvah Day on MLK Day with local Jewish organizations. Kol Emeth collaborates in planning this event and sponsors its own activity. If you have questions or suggestions, contact the office.
