Social Action/Tikun Olam

Many of the volunteer opportunities organized by Or Atid are listed below. Please consider the choices that best suit you and your family. If there is a program in which you think the congregation should participate, please let us know that as well.

High Holiday Collections

• Project Mazon: A Jewish Response To Hunger
• Food Drive for A Place To Turn
• Toiletry Collection for A Place To Turn

Collections will be advertised in Or Atid newsletter

Bristol Lodge
Volunteers help serve a meal to homeless people at this soup kitchen in Waltham. This is a great opportunity for children ages 8 and up, as well as adults. Choose a Sunday, from 4:15 pm to around 5:30 pm.

Promoting Literacy
We always welcome donations of new or gently used books to benefit needy children here in the U.S., and in Africa.

Jewish Family Service of Metrowest
People of all ages, professions, backgrounds, and language abilities volunteer to make a difference. You can visit an elderly person, mentor a first time mother, tutor elementary school students after school, assist in the JFS/MW office and many other opportunities.

Family Table
(Box in temple lobby)
We donate food each month to needy Jewish families. Or Atid has been assigned rice (1 lb boxes) and Parmalat milk. Volunteers can also help organize, pack, and distribute the food.

Purim Baskets
The congregation assembles and delivers Purim baskets (Mishloach Manot) filled with food, drink and other assorted items to the elderly in the area. Religious school students help with the basket assembly.

Wayside Hospice
By volunteering to help those at the end of life's journey, and their families, you can provide a valuable service within the community. Hospice volunteers learn the meaning of life and dignity from a unique perspective.

A Place To Turn
This food pantry in Natick is committed to providing emergency food and clothing to those in need. In addition to our High Holiday collection, volunteers are needed to help sort food here and to organize their own food and toiletry drives throughout the year.

Donate a Phone
(Box in temple lobby)
We collect used cell phones for domestic violence victims. The phones are reprogrammed to dial 911 and a non-emergency number.

Donations of Leftovers
Leftover food items and flowers from social events like Bar Mitzvahs or corporate functions can be donated to feed the hungry.

Concord Prison Outreach
Adult volunteers help facilitate classes (emotional awareness, alternatives to violence, job search skills, creative writing, many more) for inmates at two Concord correctional facilities. No previous experience required. For more info see www.concordprisonoutreach.org.

Interfaith Hospitality Network
Or Atid is part of a network of 28 area congregations that work together to provide overnight lodging to homeless families in the Metrowest area. Volunteers can prepare meals for families housed at First Parish in Wayland or help at the Network's community center.