Repair the World’s National Day of Jewish Service involved more than 3,000 people across the world. Nearly thirty of those people were right here in Baltimore.
Repair the World Baltimore partnered with the Macks Center for Jewish Connections and Har Sinai-Oheb Shalom Congregation to tackle food insecurity. On Sunday, Oct. 22, 29 community members and representatives from all three groups met at Har Sinai-Oheb Shalom to pack 250 brown-bag lunches for Paul’s Place, a nonprofit working to improve the quality of life in Southwest Baltimore.
Attendees packed each bags with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a water bottle, applesauce and a bag of chips, according to Josh Sherman, Repair the World Baltimore’s city director and one of the day’s volunteers.
“It’s a really easy and fun way to get yourself involved and make an impact that is both immediate and necessary,” said Natasha Baum, another of the 29 volunteers and chair of the Jewish Tiger Alumni Alliance, an alumni organization for Jewish alumni of Towson University. She also sits on the board of Towson University’s Hillel.
According to Baum, events like this are special and meaningful because they allow volunteers to participate in multiple facets of the volunteer process.
“You’re able to decorate the bags, make sandwiches, put all the bags together and then, if you’re volunteering as a driver, which I’ve done in the past, then you’re delivering those meals to the sites,” Baum said. “You’re seeing where those meals are going, so it’s a really tangible way to get involved and make a difference.”
But this event supporting Paul’s Place is just the first of many in a new campaign for Baltimore Repair.
This year is the first year for the National Day of Jewish Service, a new initiative by Repair the World.
The work of Repair the World, according to Sherman, is to mobilize Jews in their communities to serve. This particular event served as the kickoff for Baltimore Repair’s food access campaign.
Food justice, according to Sherman, is ensuring that everyone has access to nutrition — to affordable, culturally appropriate food. Going forward, the campaign will include more events and collaborations with local nonprofits, such as Baltimore Repair’s farm crew event on Nov. 5 and a program with Weekend Backpacks.
Weekend Backpacks, a Baltimore-based nonprofit, is on a mission to tackle food insecurity in the lives of Baltimore’s students. The organization does this by packing backpacks with food for students to take home over the weekend to help their families stay fed.
“There are so many reasons why service is important, but I think serving your community is the way in which we show solidarity,” Sherman said. “It’s a way in which we can express our love and compassion for one another.”
Not only is service like this important, it’s also something everyone can do, according to Baum.
“Kids can help decorate bags; they can pick out what snacks go in,” Baum said. “It’s important to teach kids about.”
During the event on Oct. 22, people of all ages participated, from young teens to grandparents.
“[When you] have a lot of people coming and lining up, going down lines creating kits, there’s just a generally really nice buzz to the room and a good energy,” Sherman said. “Seeing the 250 brown bag lunches lined up and then transported down to Paul’s Place gave a good feeling of solidarity and support for those in our community who are in need.”
While the event was a success, Sherman emphasized that there is still more that needs to be done.
“There is always a critical need for food,” Sherman said. “Yes, we packed 250 bags, but there’s always more that we could be doing as a community.”
