Social Action - Temple Beth David of Cheshire

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Mitzvah Day 2025

Sept 7th starting at 10:30am

Donations:

Mitzvah Bag items for the Homeless: Toothbrushes and toothpaste, socks, and/or chapstick.

Redeemable bottles and cans to support the Where the Love Is Animal Rescue in Hamden.

Bring your Tzedaka to the Bank - the diaper bank, that is. We are collecting tzedaka and loose change to support the Diaper Bank of CT

A NEW toy for Micah Carlin's toy drive - all toys will be donated to the Toy Closet at Children's Hospital, ensuring that each child admitted to the hospital receives a new toy and a more positive hospital experience.

Activities

Baking Dog and Cat treats for local animal shelters.

Painting cheerful images and words of inspiration on rocks that will be placed in the rooftop garden at Children's Hospital and Smilow Cancer Center. Hospitalized children and adults often take home a rock that is meaningful to them.

Mitzvah Bags - children will decorate 40 paper bags, and adults & older kids will fill them. The bags will be distributed in New Haven on a later date (to be determined).

We will provide all of the resources necessary to quickly compse and send letters and emails to political leaders about current adminsitrative policies (such as immigration policies) and important issues like fighting antsemitism. (Templates, snailmail and email addresses, web sites with important information, stamps, envelopes, paper...)

Planting native pollinator-friendly plants in the Mitzvah Garden

Refreshments will be available

A light lunch will be provided.

.Our Social Action Committee helps Temple Beth David to fulfill one of the tenets of our mission statement, working toward Tikkun Olam, "healing of the world". We do this by working on ongoing projects such as food drives, volunteering in the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen, informing and educating our congregants about important issues which affect us as Jews and as citizens of the world. We help our youth to see the effect that their involvement with Social Action can achieve through B’nai Mitzvah individual and class projects, and programs involving the entire religious school community.

socialaction@tbdcheshire.org

Resources and Information:

If there is a resource or cause you'd like to add, let us know!

CT Social Services

DSS delivers and funds programs and services that support the basic needs of children, families, older adults, and others, such as people with disabilities. These include:

HUSKY Health
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Temporary Family Assistance (TFA)
CT Energy Assistance Program (CEAP)
CT Home Care Program for Elders (CHCPE)
Social Work Services and Protective Services for the Elderly (PSE)
Child Support Services

Learn more about CT Social Services

Food Insecurity

The Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS) provides a host of CT food assistance programs.

Find CT programs to assist with food security and nutritional support

In Cheshire

The Cheshire Food Pantry is a community organization that provides food in situations for all eligible individuals and families in need, regardless of their race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, or disability.

Learn more about the Cheshire Food Pantry

The Cheshire Food Voucher Program provides food vouchers to a local grocery store to eligible resident households in need of perishable food items.

Learn more about the Cheshire Food Voucher Program

In Southington

Southington Bread for Life is a community supported human service organization that feeds, provides fellowship, affirms dignity, and builds connections to those experiencing food insecurity within the Southington community.

Learn more about Bread for Life

The Southington Food Pantry is available to Southington residents who meet Foodshare guidelines and show proof that they live in Southington.

Learn more about the Southington Food Pantry

In Wallingford

Master’s Manna serves homeless, near homeless, low to moderate income families and residents who face food insecurity in the greater Wallingford/Meriden area.

Learn more about Master's Manna

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger

Inspired by Jewish values and ideals, MAZON is a national organization fighting to end hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds in the United States and Israel.

Learn more about MAZON

Take Action

Antisemitism

URJ-ADL Partnership to combat antisemitism

The Union for Reform Judaism has joined with the Anti-Defamation League in the creation of a multi-faceted partnership offering organizations the opportunity to work together to respond to acts of antisemitism and hate.

URJ ADL Partnership

ADL

ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913, its timeless mission is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.”

Visit ADL.org

Visit CT ADL.org

End Jew Hatred

A grassroots movement centering on Jewish liberation from all forms of oppression and discrimination.

Visit End Jew Hatred.com

Immigration & Refugee Resettlement

JCARR

Temple Beth David members are actively involved with the Jewish Community Alliance for Refugee Resettlement (JCARR). JCARR is a partnership of six New Haven-area synagogues and the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven. As a co-sponsor for Integrated Refugee and Immigration Services (IRIS), the principal refugee resettlement agency in Connecticut, JCARR helps new refugee and immigrant families resettle in our community. Since December 2015, JCARR’s Coordinator and numerous volunteers have welcomed one asylum-seeking and five refugee families who fled their home countries to escape persecution and violence. TBD has been involved for just over a year, and has already helped to resettle two families currently in the New Haven area, as well as assuming leadership of the household task force,

Jewish New Haven Refugee Resettlement

URJ & RAC

The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and Religious Action Center (RAC) continue to work tirelessly to oppose anti-immigrant rhetoric and legislation. From engaging congregations to participating in national coalitions, we are working across all levels of advocacy in the pursuit of a just and humane immigration system.

URJ Immigration Justice

DCF's Immigration Hub

DCF serves all families of Connecticut, regardless of immigration status. DCF never reports immigration status to ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

DCF's Immigration Hub

Social Justice

RAC (Religious Action Center)

For more than six decades, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (the RAC) has worked to educate, inspire, and mobilize the Reform Jewish community to advocate for social justice.

Learn more about the Religious Action Center

Take Action

Israel

Maden David Adom

Magen David Adom in Israel is the State of Israel's national EMS organization responsible for emergency pre-hospital medical care and blood services. It is Israel’s only national Emergency Medical Service and blood services organization.

Donate to Magen David Adom

Environment & Sustainability

Cheshire Pollinator Pathway

Inspiring, Educating And Supporting Diverse Communities Working Together To Restore And Connect Habitat For Pollinators.

Learn more

Sustainable CT

Sustainable CT is a voluntary certification program that helps Connecticut municipalities implement practical sustainability actions to build stronger, more inclusive communities.

Learn more

Your Vote Matters

Your vote is your voice. Be vote ready! Visit the Elections & Voting site of Secretary of State Denise W. Merrill’s webpage for information about registering to vote and where/how to vote this election season.

Registered to vote? Confirm your status here!