MESH Report April 25, 2023

Even though Meny from Marcel is catering meals for MESH this Tuesday, Shomrei provided supplemental food for MESH guests on Monday. Tasty leftovers from last week’s kiddish were packed up and transported by yours truly and warmly welcomed by Patricia Diaz, MESH staffer who was thrilled to have extra food to distribute. There was tuna fish salad, macaroni & cheese, whitefish salad, penne with broccoli, fruit salad, yummy looking brownies and crumb cake. Many thanks to the families who sponsored the kiddish with the added blessing of being able to care for members of our community. Continue reading

MESH Report April 18, 2023

A semi homemade meal was on the menu this past Tuesday. Chef Lynne, along with co-chefs Aileen Grossberg and Alex Kent, prepared Fish Fillets with Cheesy Mashed potatoes and Aileen’s made from scratch Apple Coleslaw. A colorful and healthy Fresh Fruit Salad, hearty long roll, 6 Oreo cookies, a breakfast bar and water bottle. Regular teen helper, Jaden, was on hand to help portion and pack. In spite of a few kitchen snafus, the 30 meals were ready for transport by Lynne to The Office at 4:50pm.

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MESH Report Mar 14, 2023

The Shomrei MESH A Team was at it again on Tuesday!  Aileen Grossberg, Lynne Kurzweil, Alex Kent, Susan Rosenblatt and Shomrei Teen Jaden shopped, prepped, cooked, packed and delivered a simple, nourishing, filling and, most important, tasty hot meal for 30 MESH guests meeting at the former location of The Office on Bloomfield Avenue.

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MESH Report Mar 7, 2023

Shomrei was abuzz this past Sunday. The Social Hall and Gallery were packed with multigenerational families crafting, bouncing, playing, munching. In the kitchen, the Purim carnival team was heating up pizza on the dairy side and on the meat side the Lefkowitz Family was cooking up a feast for MESH. First time MESH volunteers Vicki, Allen, Alex, Max and Shomrei friend, Ben, prepared a hearty and healthy meal in true Shomrei style. On Tuesday, our guests feasted on Vegetarian Chili over Rice, Spring Mix Salad with Carrots, Pepper and Tomatoes, homemade Cornbread, homemade Brownies, Clementines, Granola Bar and Hamentaschen. Lynne, Aileen and super teen helper, Jaden, warmed up, portioned and packed and Lynne delivered the meals to The Office. Yasher Koach to the Lefkowitz family for helping to perform this important mitzvah! Continue reading

MESH Update Jan 31, 2023

The MESH Cafe has evolved considerably in the past three years.  Prior to March of 2020, every Tuesday evening from September through June, The Carol Starr MESH Cafe at Shomrei served dinner upstairs in the Gallery to 25-30 food insecure members of the Montclair community.  When Covid prohibited in house dining, we provided Grab N Go complete meals which were distributed by MESH staff in a central outdoor location. Starting in 2023 MESH has an indoor location, the site of the former The Office restaurant at 619 Bloomfield Ave., provided through the generosity of the landlord.  The doors open at 4:30 pm, meals are served at 5:15 pm and guests can stay and relax until 6:30 pm.  The MESH Board has also set up a “MESH Store” where guests can “shop” for clothing and other essentials.  The Store is only accepting donations of new items.
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MESH Report Jan 24, 2023

Chef Fern worked her magic once again preparing a Mediterranean feast for 30 MESH guests in her home kitchen. She brought the meal in trays to Shomrei early Tuesday afternoon , all ready to be portioned and packed by Lynne Kurzweil and frequent teen helper, Jaden.  The meal included Baked Salmon with lemon garnish and Yogurt Dill Sauce, Israeli Couscous Salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and olives, Coleslaw, and Biscuits baked by Collin.  Each guest was also given a tangerine, a cupcake, a water bottle and a breakfast bar. Continue reading

MESH Report Dec 27, 2022

The dynamic cooking duo of Lynne Kurzweil and Joan Zief whipped up a feast of a comfort meal for 30 grateful MESH guests. With the able assistance of Susan Rosenblatt, all around amazing sous chef, helper, packer and dishwasher, the meal consisted of BBQ Rub Chicken, Roasted Vegetable Herb Rice, Roasted Peas and Carrots, Potato Latkes with Apple Sauce, sliced Italian bread, two clementines, Milano cookies, 3 Lindt chocolate truffles and a water bottle.

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