Hadassah Unites South Bay Organizations to Feed Needy

My friend Margie said she was bored; we have to get out of here and do something. I’m listening. She said, “Let’s have a Food Drive.” I’m thinking, “Been there. Done that.” But it’s corona virus season across the world and we in our little bubble, though quite protected and insulated by some large degree of comfort, are not immune. What’s more we Hadassah ladies are, after all, the Women Who Do. Women with Purpose. I pay attention but it seems a logistic nightmare because the Hill, as we call our 5-town community in Palos Verdes, is wide and diverse, and if you include the greater South Bay area it’s really a geographic game of chutes and ladders. We seem isolated by design. I’m our local Hadassah Chapte L’Dor V’Dor’s membership and publicity chair and also serve as Education chair on the Metro board. I’m all ears now.

Since I am also on Congregation Ner Tamid’s Tikkun Olam committee as publicity chair as well as a member of their Sisterhood, I get busy making the project expand. Margie L, our Hadassah group president, starts making phone calls to our board and CNT’s Sisterhood chair. Leslie Back is events chair; she’s in. Margie Richards is treasurer and will do all she can, tell her more. This turns out to be an amazing more. Jo-Ann Katz comes up with the logistical plan. Linda Alexander, Congregation Ner Tamid’s Sisterhood chair, comes in and fleshes out Margie’s original food drive idea with making sure Rainbow Services for battered women and their families in San Pedro is on our list. Sheila Milman, our Hadassah Israeli News chair, adds the final touch to the breadth of what we can do, “Let’s include Food 4 Kids in Torrance as well.” She has volunteered there for years and is acutely aware that the children now out of school do not have meals weekdays and weekends.

We’ve got three non-profits banding together to serve two non-profits. Unheard of. A Community Coalition of Women. Broke a few rules, made a lot of people healthier and happier. Way to go!

Here’s the plan. In just one week’s time emails are sent out to members of all three volunteer groups by our community liaisons. Please email us back and tell us you're in and we can stop by. One of your friends from Tikkun Olam, Sisterhood or Hadassah will drive by your home between 9am and 1pm to pick up any non-perishable food for boys and girls no longer in school and/or food and supplies for infants and babies as well as young children and their mothers who are temporarily displaced and living in Rainbow Services shelters.

There were six of us making the rounds that morning. As we approached each home, we called beforehand. We picked up curb side cartons, shopping bags at front doors, and checks because folks didn’t go out to grocery stores anymore. The checks were made out to either charity, as the donor designated. Our SUV’s and minivans were exploding with goods. Our hearts were full as well. And we stopped to spread good cheer and healthy wishes with each of the donors who greeted us. Our masks were in place and there were often sanitary wipes and gloves to ensure that the items and we helpers didn’t get stung by the virus bug.

At noon, we met at Ronnie Silverstone’s emptied garage and off loaded our bounty. No one did a count, but the rear width of her garage was covered three times over with donations.

We set up three portable long tables and went to work: a table for each destination and a central off-loading table full of the donations. Margie L, Ronnie S and I began unpacking each donation bag or box or carton onto the center table from which we’d sort each item by where it would best be used: Food 4 Kids or Rainbow Services. There's a lot of crossover but many items serve one population better than the other and we were mindful of that. In time, Yolanta Schwartz joined us and worked on packing cartons for each destination. During all this, Margie Richards calls and has collected baby and infant diaper and food left on their shelves. A full-sized SUV was packed to overflowing! Even Rabbi Schuldenfrei of Congregation

Ner Tamid stopped by and congratulated us on a job well done.

Distribution was next. Margie L, local president of Hadassah; L’Dor V’Dor and whose brain storm this was, called Rainbow Services and Linda Alexander, CNT’s Sisterhood chair who has a long-standing relationship with Rainbow Services, to co-ordinate a drop off time. Friday at 10:30am was selected. I was part of a 3 car/minivan caravan into San Pedro to meet Maria C. Hernandez of Rainbow Services. There she was to help. Soon Carlos Ramirez was there and he helped arrange for a dolly and more hands-on deck. In an hour it was all over. They accepted a collection of checks we had gathered that equaled over $1,200 and 275 pounds of good nutritious non-perishable food. Not to mention a fabulous supply of nursery needs.

Monday was the day Sheila had arranged with Jon Phelps, who is a staff member of Food 4 Kids, to greet us in Torrance to drop off our donations at their Torrance collection center. Again, a multi car caravan and a fistful 0f checks were happily handed over. We presented Food 4 Kids with over 225 pounds of good food and about $1300.00 in checks collected during our drive. One day’s drive. One community. One coalition. One heart. From Hadassah, the Women Who Do!

by Ronnie Katz Gerber