Hesed

Or Zarua Hesed Fund
Please consider making a donation to the OZ Hesed Fund for disbursement to our partners. You may learn more about them at the links below:
New York Common Pantry
Met Council for Jewish Poverty
Project ORE
Food Bank for New York City
UJA Federation of New York
Leket, Table to Table (Israeli)

Get Involved Through Or Zarua and Help Those in Need
“The Reward for Charity Depends Entirely Upon the Extent of the Kindness in it”-Talmud Bavli

In the spirit of gemilut hasadim, the Or Zarua Hesed Committee coordinates the congregation’s efforts to help those within our local community who are in need. Our primary areas of focus include homelessness, literacy and food insecurity with a focus on children and seniors. Ongoing activities and community partners include monthly meal servings at the New York Common Pantry and Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter, tutoring children through Innovations for Learning, and volunteering with Dorot to help seniors.

Please contact the Hesed Committee at hesed@orzarua.org to sign up or for more information on any of the projects listed below.

Volunteers are needed to help pack groceries at a Met Council pantry and distribute to a Senior Residence on the Upper East Side The OZ Hesed Committee is working with the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty (Met Council) on a project to bring groceries to Seniors. We will be packing the groceries at a Met Council pantry (Lexington Avenue and 31st Street) for delivery to and distribution at a Senior Residence on East 92nd Street.
4:00 pm to pack the groceries
5:30 pm (approx.) distribution at the building
Next opportunities TBA
Individuals and families are welcome to volunteer. It is still required that all volunteers be fully vaccinated. However, wearing a mask at the pantry has become optional but it is still recommended that you do so. All volunteers coming to the 92nd Street residence are still required to wear a mask.
If interested contact Jeff Haberman at jeff32449@verizon.net or (917) 697-1677

New York Common Pantry: The New York Common Pantry, with which OZ has had a long relationship, is in need of volunteers for two of its projects. Both are located at NYCP’s facility at 8 East 109th Street. While there is always a need this need is especially acute in February.
The first project is packing groceries at their Choice Pantry to be picked up by NYCP’s clients. There are four shifts with a particular need – Wednesday and Thursday from either 9:00 am-12:30 pm or 12:30-4 pm.
The second project is the Hot Meals Program in which hot food is packed into heat-conserving “To Go” containers for later distribution. Volunteer openings are available on Monday through Friday 10:00 am-Noon or 1:00-3:30 pm or 4:00 pm (hours would be more flexible on Friday to accommodate Shabbat observers).
Anyone who wishes to volunteer may sign up individually through NYCP’s website, https://nycommonpantry.org/volunteer/, or we can organize an OZ group where volunteers would serve on the same shift(s), or both. Please also let Jeff Haberman know if you choose individual participation.
Those interested in participating as a group please contact Jeff at jeff32449@verizon.net or by phone at (917) 697-1677.

Serve Up Thursday Night Pasta and Salad at NCS
NCS has partially lifted their “no volunteers on site” protocol so that we may again go into the residence on 81st Street to package the food we provide into individual portions for delivery by their staff to the residents. Donations to the Hesed Fund needed. Contact Jeff Haberman.

Visit and Bring Cheer to Ill or Home-bound OZ Congregants
Volunteer to visit and bring cheer to ill or home-bound OZ Congregants. Contact Deborah Wenger: dwenger@orzarua.org or 212-452-2310, ext 12.

Join DOROT Holiday Package Deliveries
On the Sundays before Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah and Passover, Or Zarua volunteers visit seniors in their homes and bring gift packages of traditional foods and holiday items with DOROT, a nonprofit serving senior citizens.  Holiday Package Deliveries are family friendly and a wonderful way to share the spirit and warmth of the holidays.  Contact Miriam Quart at hesed@orzarua.org for more information.

Celebrate Purim with Project ORE
Every year Or Zarua members celebrate Purim with Project ORE on a Sunday around the holiday.‎ We hear part of the Megillah, sing, eat (of course) and enjoy spending time with some of the members of Project ORE a program for vulnerable and isolated older adults. Children’s.   In addition, during the year our Hebrew school students have served lunch to and done clothing collections for Project Ore members.

Join OZ’s Erev Thanksgiving and Erev Christmas “Gleanings” 
Every year Or Zarua volunteers participate in our annual holiday gleaning projects–packing and delivering food donated by Eli Zabar–for our neighbors in need. As a community, we’ll work with several of Eli Zabar’s retail outlets to gather leftover food and deliver it to those in need. The Gleaning Project has always been a great project for the children of the OZ community. For some, it is the first lesson towards understanding that there are many members of this and other communities within New York City who are not as fortunate as are most of us and but for what we gather and deliver they would be without a Holiday meal. For many it becomes the primary meal for more than one day. Please contact Jeff Haberman at jeff32449@verizon.net or at 917-697-1677 for information.