2021 tzedakah donations
These are the organizations Havurat Shalom supported with tzedakah donations this year. We hope you'll support them too!
- Boston Ujima Project
- Great Old Broads for Wilderness
- Somerville Homeless Coalition
- Stone House
- Ta'ayush
- and an Afghan family resettling in Somerville
2nd annual Tzedakah crafts project
& winter-wear drive
Once again, pull out the knitting needles, crochet hooks, knitting looms and yarn and let's make hats and scarves.
Why? Last winter we were able to donate a lot of beautiful hats and scarves to local organizations that distributed them to those in need (see below). Plus, several of us enjoy sharing in a Havurah crafting project.
Don't knit? We welcome donations of new or clean used hats, scarves, and gloves.
Where to bring it? There's a waterproof bin on the Havurah front porch. We'll be collecting donations until January 31, 2022.
Want companionship while you knit or crochet? Or join us to kibbitz while we work: Join us anytime during the Mondays 1 - 3 pm Adult Craft and Chat Zoom sponsored by the Somerville Public Library. Absolutely no need to do a craft, you are always welcome just to chat. There's always some Havniks on, so you'll fit right in. Maida, Heidi, Monica, and Ruth B. are regulars, and often someone can help with knitting questions. Email Maida at maidatil@gmail.com to get on the email invitation list.
Want to help but can't knit? There's an inexpensive simple tool called a "knitting loom" that makes it really easy. No counting, no needles, no fancy stitches. Maida and Aliza both learned to make hats with it. We have looms and tools and help to give if you want to try, and there's lots of free video instruction online.
Why? Last winter we were able to donate a lot of beautiful hats and scarves to local organizations that distributed them to those in need (see below). Plus, several of us enjoy sharing in a Havurah crafting project.
Don't knit? We welcome donations of new or clean used hats, scarves, and gloves.
Where to bring it? There's a waterproof bin on the Havurah front porch. We'll be collecting donations until January 31, 2022.
Want companionship while you knit or crochet? Or join us to kibbitz while we work: Join us anytime during the Mondays 1 - 3 pm Adult Craft and Chat Zoom sponsored by the Somerville Public Library. Absolutely no need to do a craft, you are always welcome just to chat. There's always some Havniks on, so you'll fit right in. Maida, Heidi, Monica, and Ruth B. are regulars, and often someone can help with knitting questions. Email Maida at maidatil@gmail.com to get on the email invitation list.
Want to help but can't knit? There's an inexpensive simple tool called a "knitting loom" that makes it really easy. No counting, no needles, no fancy stitches. Maida and Aliza both learned to make hats with it. We have looms and tools and help to give if you want to try, and there's lots of free video instruction online.
In the winter of 2020, Havurah members combined knitting with a winterwear drive. We made, collected and donated 37 hats, 9 scarves and 5 pairs of gloves. At least 22 of the hats were hand knit for this project. We donated them to Mutual Aid Medford and Somerville (MAMAS), Second Chances and the Material Aid and Advocacy Program.
Knit hats, scarf, a skein of thread and knitting needles. Photo and knitting by Monica Holland.
little free pantry
As one small way to help with the terrible food insecurity problem in Massachusetts, Havurah Shalom has installed a little free pantry next to our little free library. Many thanks to Nathan Rome for building it! The Little Free Pantry movement motto is: Take What You Need, Leave What You Can. We hope neighbors and passers-by will help themselves! And/or, donate unopened, non-perishable food items.
Little free library (left), Little free pantry (right)
diversifying the little free library
We may have our differences on many things at the Havurah, but I think we would all agree we love books. And one way we share this love is with the Little Free Library in front of the Hav. People take a book and leave a book and there's a lot of activity in and out. But is there enough diversity in the books? Are children seeing books that reflect who they are? Inspired by the Little Free Diverse Library project started by Sarah Kamya of Arlington, MA, we will now be adding diverse children's books to our little library and possibly some adult books, too. Some of them we will buy, and others, we hope, will be donated. If you would like to donate any of these books, please put them into the box on the front porch so they can be gradually added to the Little Library.
Diverse children's books in the little free library. Photo by Meredith Porter.
investing in the black community
As one small way to enact our anti-racist values, Havurat Shalom decided to invest in Black economic empowerment by buying $2,000 worth of 7-year notes offered by Ujima, a Boston non-profit dedicated to democratically funding local businesses and projects that benefit Black, Brown and working-class communities in Boston. Ujima’s voting members – Boston residents of modest income – identify critical needs within the community, and based on these priorities, determine which investments Ujima funds, thus creating, at least on a small scale, a market driven by democracy rather than capitalism. To learn more about Ujima’s democratically-driven structure and priorities, check out their 2021 Annual Report.
Havurat Shalom is a climate resilience hub
Tzedakah opportunity
Havurat Shalom is a member of Somerville Interfaith, a group working to help refugees in Somerville. One of the things Somerville Interfaith does is to give gift cards to the supermarket Market Basket to refugees who aren't allowed to work yet. The Havurah has a box near the front door with the Market Basket logo on it. You can put $25 Market Basket gift cards there, or checks made out to Havurat Shalom that specify 'gift card' in the subject line to help support refugees in our community. Or, if you're donating on-line, specify that your donation is for a Market Basket gift card. And thank you!
make a house a home
In May 2019, Havurat Shalom participated in the Somerville Homeless Coalition's Make a House a Home program. SCH provides homeless and near homeless individuals and families with individualized supportive services. Their Make a House a Home program focuses on families and individuals who are moving into an apartment, but do not have the resources to make their apartment "home." SHC provided the large furniture such beds and dressers. Havurat Shalom held a housewarming and collected the items to outfit the kitchen of a newly housed person.