Ongoing Social Action Projects
Hunger Project
Every Sunday, 9:00 am
The Hunger Project prepares and serves brunch on Sunday mornings at the Paul Mirable Center, part of St. Vincent de Paul Village, which provides services for homeless people and clients from the surrounding neighborhood. Your help is always needed to set up, serve brunch, and clean up on any Sunday morning from 9:00 to 11:30 am. CBI provides food, funding and volunteers for this program. Cash donations are also needed. Reservations are a must. To learn more about this rewarding mitzvah, visit our Hunger Project page To sign up, contact Terri Fine at 858 535-1111, or tfine@cbisd.org.
Knit and Nosh
Every 2nd Sunday, 9:00 am (no meeting in April). Next Meeting February 12
Monthly meetings at Café Beth Israel. Volunteers are encouraged to knit or crochet 8-inch squares using washable acrylic or cotton yarn and/or crochet or sew the squares together. Squares or finished blankets can also be left at the Beth Israel office. Donations of washable cotton yarn welcome. Contact Susan Volsky at susanvolsky@yahoo.com, or 858-259-1667.
Help Keep a Senior Safe
Jewish Family Service offers a Fix-It service to any senior citizen with a caregiver in San Diego County. The Fix-It service repairs or installs safety devices in the home. The demand, however, is exceeding the financial resources. Please consider donating cash (online at Jewish Family Service and designate JFS Fix-It Service) or the following items: carbon monoxide detectors, child-proof door knob covers (for Alzheimer/Dementia clients), door alarms, eco-friendly light bulbs, handheld showers, nightlights, suction cup tub mats.
Drop off locations: Beth Israel black bins at each entrance or JFS office. For more information contact JFS at 858-637-3354, fixit@jfssd.org, JFS Fix-It Service, or one of the "fix-it" helpers, CBI member Glenn Farber, at glennfar@cox.net or 619-460-5384.
Adopt a U.S. Soldier
Your monetary donations help us send drinks, food, books, games, health and hygiene products, boot socks and other items to support our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Each box costs about $30. Click here to donate online. Choose "Adopt a Soldier" as the designation, or you may write a check made out to "CBI" with "SAC/Adopt a Soldier" written in the memo and mail to: Congregation Beth Israel, 9001 Towne Centre Drive, San Diego, CA 92122, Att: Bonnie Graff. Call us at 858 535-1111 to make donations by phone.
Our soldiers tell us in wonderful letters how much they appreciate our care packages. Click here to read some of them.
For more information contact Linda Valfer or Program Director Bonnie Graff 858-535-1111, ext. 3800.
Promote Sustainability with Community Supported Agriculture
In an effort to strengthen sustainable/organic community agriculture and support local farmers, the Social Action Committee invites CBI members to join the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program at the new UTC Farmers Market on the West Side of the UTC Mall, Thursdays from 3-7 p.m. Rabbi Satz will be at the market every first Thursday of the month from 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. to meet and greet CBI members who are picking up their boxes.
Go to BriansFarmersMarkets.com for details on what is included in your weekly box, and how to join the CSA, Make sure to choose the UTC location as your pick-up spot.
Donate Your Old Glasses!
Drop your old glasses off in the basket at CBI's front desk for New Eyes for the Needy, a non-profit that has provided eyeglasses for over seven million poor children and adults worldwide.
Contact Program Direcor Bonnie Graff for more information.
Don't Trash Your Cell Phone - Recycle It!
Bring your old cell phones and accessories to CBI and drop them in the black bins near the guard stations. The cell phones will be refurbished and sold to developing countries. BITY will receive a portion of the sale price and the remaining net proceeds will be donated to gorilla conservation agencies. The refurbished phones will be used by low-income families instead of ending up in landfills.