Feeding Families, Nourishing Hope… Winter 2013

Message from Nancy Kleinfeldt, Yad Ezra President

Yad Ezra’s 23rd dinner honoring Nicole and Matt Lester was an incredible success thanks to the tremendous dedication of Nicole and Matt and all our hardworking volunteers and staff. I want to express my gratitude to everyone involved in the and planning of this wonderful event. We provide the shortest and perhaps most heartfelt dinner in town. Everyone had plenty of time to mingle, enjoy the strolling buffet and then sit down to listen to some meaningful words. You could also be tucked into bed by 8:30pm or home in time to put your children to bed.

Speaking of children, do you know that over 500 children participate in our school lunch assistance program? Any Jewish school that has a regular lunch program qualifies. Akiva, Hillel, Yeshiva Beth Yehudah, Mesifta of Toledo, Lubavitch Cheder, and Yeshiva Gedola all receive funds from Yad Ezra (through grants) to cover the costs of feeding hot lunches to students whose parents can’t afford the meals.

Our upcoming spring event, Vanish Hunger, is one of our efforts that helps fund these school assistance programs. I am thrilled to announce that on March 27th we are bringing in Matisyahu, an international bestselling Jewish reggae artist, for an acoustic performance at the Royal Oak Music Theatre. I encourage everyone to attend this event. Let’s sell out the event and One Day Vanish Hunger!

Yad Ezra Honored as 2013 Top Rated Non-Profit Yad Ezra Snack Program a Big Hit with Client Families Yad Ezra’s leadership is thrilled to announce that we have been honored with a prestigious 2013 Top-Rated Yad Ezra’s Summer Snack Program, initiated by presi- Award by GreatNonprofits, the leading provider of user dent Nancy Kleinfeldt, has morphed into a year-round reviews about nonprofit organizations. The Top-Rated Healthy Snack Program, since it has been such a great Nonprofit award was based on the large number of hit with client families. A mother wrote the following: positive reviews that Yad Ezra received – reviews writ- “Thank you so much for the snack packages. It is really ten by volunteers, donors and clients. People posted great, especially since it’s so plentiful, and each child their personal experience with our organization on gets their own package. My kids really like the apple- GreatNonprofits website. sauce, granola bars, pretzels, fruit roll-ups, fresh fruit, “Savvy donors want to see the impact of their dona- baby carrots and juice. The one thing they don’t like tions more than ever,” said Perla Ni, CEO of GreatNon- are the kind of crackers you offer*. The addition of the profits. “People with direct experience with Yad Ezra snack packages is a great help. Thanks again!” have voted that the organization is making a real differ- *We took her words to heart and have replaced the original ence.” GreatNonprofits is the leading site for donors crackers with graham crackers. and volunteers to find reviews and ratings of nonprofits. Reviews on the site influence 30 million deci- sions a year. Check out www.greatnonprofits.org

Council on Teens Against Hunger

Under the direction of Yad Ezra’s Client/Volunteer Coordinator, Darlene Rothman, a group of National Honor Society Students from Berkley High School has started a group using the acronym COTAH to help raise awareness about hunger. The students are coordinating food drives, at Yad Ezra, participating in a Speakers Bureau and doing advocacy work. It is the hope that other high schools will follow this model and develop their own branch of COTAH. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Yad Ezra 2850 W. 11 Mile Road, Berkley, MI 48072 (248) 548-3663 www.yadezra.org Ask Congress to Protect Anti-Hunger Programs as Food Stamp Allocations are Reduced

Congress is considering how to proceed on the Farm Bill in 2013 and is looking at cutting programs that help vulner- able families including SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps). On No- vember 1st, SNAP benefits were cut by $11 a month for a family of 1 and up to $52 for a family of 6, depending on income, household size and expenses. While soup kitchens and food pantries do their best to help support our food insecure neighbors, non-profits alone cannot meet the need for food assistance in our country. Congress is appointing a conference committee to work out the differences between the House and Senate Farm Bills to pass a unified Farm Bill. Please write to your con- gress people asking them to protect and strengthen hunger-relief programs like The Emergency Food Assistance Pro- gram (TEFAP) and SNAP. Unemployment in Michigan remains high and many families all over the country continue to struggle to make ends meet. We need Congress to help ensure that all Americans are able to put food on the table.

Senator Carl Levin 269 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20510 [email protected] Senator Debbie Stabenow 133 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 [email protected] Congressman Sander Levin 1236 Longworth HOB Washington, DC 20515 [email protected] Congressman Gary Peters 1609 Longworth HOB Washington, DC 20515

Celebrating Chanukah and Thanksgiving on the Yom Kippur Food Same Day!! Benefits Yad Ezra Fami- lies For the first time since 1888, Chanukah and Thanksgiv- ing are being celebrated on the same day! In honor of 18 area synagogues, tem- both holidays, Yad Ezra client families are receiving a ples, day schools and organi- bundle of goodies to enjoy. Thanks to Lynda and Ron zations collected 27,000 Charfoos, Rissa and Sheldon Winkelman, Esther and pounds of groceries and Neal Zalenko and Karolyn and Ari Leibovitz, clients are more than $12,000 in dona- receiving turkeys. Our annual Chanukah appeal has raised funds enabling us to distribute potato pancake tions for Yad Ezra. Thanks mix, olive oil, applesauce, Chanukah candles, chocolate once again to volunteers coins, salamis, mustard and pickles. Mike Rich and Dan Jaffee Huge thanks to Helen Etkin and the Etkin Family Foun- for their yeoman’s efforts to dation for their extremely generous donation to pur- pick-up and sort the food. chase Chanukah annually for the children of our Non-kosher donated items client families. Thanks to volunteers Addie Levine, Judy Matensky, Harriett Silverman, Linda and Mark were donated to Mother’s Oleszko for organizing and packaging the gifts. Pantry in Inkster, Cass Corri- Thanks also to The Doll Hospital and Toy Soldier Shop dor Community Outreach in Berkley for providing us with a discount on the toys Center and . we purchased. The convergence of these two holidays won’t happen again for another 70,000 years!

Watch for Newly Designed Website Katie Wallace, Yad Ezra’s Marketing Coordinator, is becoming our Web Master and is redesigning our website. She has been taking online classes and working with our current web design group, EPK Designs, to create the site. Ku- dos to Katie for taking on this initiative!

Yad Ezra 2850 W. 11 Mile Road, Berkley, MI 48072 (248) 548-3663 www.yadezra.org Dinner 2013 pays tribute to Nicole and Matt Lester

500 people attended Yad Ezra’s annual fundraising event to honor Nicole and Matt Lester, the organization’s honor- ees this year. Co-chairs Sherri and Jim Ketai and Rachel and Josh Opperer were very pleased with the turn-out, and a record amount of funds was raised for Yad Ezra’s operations and the construction of a greenhouse, named in mem- ory of Matt’s mother, Geri Lester. The greenhouse will provide volunteer activities and the ability to grow additional produce during a longer growing season on our property. Huge thanks to co-chairs and fundraising committee mem- bers who worked hard to ensure the success of the event. Thanks also to Rachel Zimmerman for designing the invi- tation and journal cover; to Bluma Schechter and Jody Kaplan, our proofreaders; to Carol Sue Coden for organizing the centerpieces (donated by Steve Coden) with the help of Carol Hooberman, Sally Krugel and Ruth Anne Lippitt; to Beverly Dovitz, Sarena Paul, Ruth Kahn, June Stillman, Yehudit Jubas, Jeff Katz, Jeff Supowit, Richard Simtob and Alan Reiter who helped with tasks during the event. Special heartfelt thanks to Nicole and Matt and their family for enabling us to take on this new venture!

Elliah, Matt, Asa and Nicole Lester Lea Luger, Jim and Sherri Ketai, Matt and Nicole Lester, Ed and Betty Klein receive the Emery (z”l) and Diane Rachel and Josh Opperer, Nancy Kleinfeldt Klein Volunteer of the Year award from Diane Klein

Yad Ezra Spring Event s Thanks to the following o Features Matisyahu d r individuals and groups for u e International singing star K rn o volunteerism/: Matisyahu will perform C an acoustical concert to help Yad Ezra Vanish • To Partners in Torah “Taste of Rosh Ha- shana” event that resulted in a generous do- Hunger. The event is nation scheduled for 7:00pm on • To Berkley High School National Honor Soci- March 27, 2014 at the ety students Royal Oak Music Theatre. Co-chairs for the event are • To Alpha Phi Omega Eastern Michigan Uni- Nancy Kleinfeldt and Ari Dolgin. The event includes versity students for volunteering snacks, a cash bar and raffle. Tickets are $36 per per- • To Michigan State University students for son. Sponsorships are available. Please contact Ka- volunteering • To Berkley High School students for volun- [email protected] for more information. Registration on st teering our website will be available beginning December 1 . • To the JCC campers for volunteering • To Wayne State Medical students for volun- Simcha Fund teering Thanks to a grant from the estate of Harold and Minnie • To University of Detroit Mercy Nursing stu- Wade, Yad Ezra is providing client households with a dents for volunteering grant up to $500 (amount to be determined) per house- • To Hillel of Metro Detroit students for volun- hold per year for a Kiddush when celebrating a baby teering naming, bar/bat mitzvah or wedding. • To families packing Healthy Snack Packages Requirements are the following: • To Shaarey Zedek’s Sisterhood for the contin- Applicants must be on Yad Ezra’s active client database ued donations of food for the volunteers to for at least 3 months before the date of the grant enjoy application. • To Marty Weitz and Anchor Printing for print- Client families will have to complete a Simcha Fund Ap- ing and donating labels for our puhkas plication Form. • To Jeff Katz and Robert Tokar and The Wol- Client family will have to provide receipts for proof of reimbursement. verine Group for the preparation and mailing To make an appointment or for more information, please of this newsletter call Lea at (248) 548-3663 or email [email protected].

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