B’nai Mitvah families shopped and prepared meals for MESH this week under the guidance of experienced MESHer Sarita Eisenberg. The meal was Sarita’s usual – barbequed chicken, roasted potatoes, and salad. We cooked and did some packing on Monday and then reheated the food and completed the packing on Tuesday.
Cook Sarita Eisenberg and her team whipped up a meal for 50 in just 2 hours!
The team included Sarita’s usual crew of Lou Hammerman and Linda Ariel joined by Sarah Steindel, Risa Bernstein, and Carol Rothman. Also helping were Risa’s son Coby and his partner Sam Benke, visiting from Germany (putative prizewinners for the longest distance traveled to help with MESH).
’Twas the eve before Hanukkah
And all through the shul
Not a person was present
In the office or school.
The halls were dark.
The playground was quiet.
Rabbi Julie was not to be found.
BUT enter the kitchen and
What do you see?
Six volunteers so busily
Preparing a meal for the
Food insecure.
It’s MESH night at Shomrei
You can be sure.
Today’s MESH meal was prepared by Shirley Grill who was the shopper and lead Chef with the very able assistance of Susan Rosenblatt and David Grill (packing duty!). Sarah and Charles Steindel bought and delivered apples, string cheese and breakfast bars. Continue reading
The sounds of prayer were complemented by the buzz of conversation as Shomrei celebrated the upcoming wedding of Jared Hurwich and Perrin Shapiro at the first indoor kiddush in almost two years.
The kiddush crew was out in full force prepping for this kiddush which was just a bit different from what they used to do. Instead of artfully arranged platters, there were trays of individual containers to grab and take to the tables. Cookies were snuggled into a foil pan with a see through tops so that the contents could be seen and labels abounded to identify the foods on display. Continue reading
From Captain Linda Ariel:
It was a hectic night at the Carol Starr MESH cafe this past Tuesday evening. We had 25 guests with two meals given as take out to people for whom we did not have room. Many of the people served have become familiar faces and responded to us at Shomrei with warmth and gratitude.
From Captain Linda Ariel:
From Captain Lynne Kurzweil:
On a balmy spring evening we welcomed 24 grateful guests to the Carol Starr MESH Cafe at Shomrei. We also provided 2 takeout meals. The top notch team of Steindel, Eisenberg and Hammerman was on board with Sarah and Sarita preparing a delicious and nutritious meal assisted by Charles and Lou who ably performed numerous tasks including Lou’s stellar pot, pan, dish and utensil washing. We had a new helper tonight. Sarah, the young daughter of our custodian Kevin, pitched in with plating food and serving. She was a big help! Continue reading
From Captain Linda Ariel:
It was a lively evening at the Carol Starr MESH Cafe at Shomrei. It was a warm sunny evening, and the days were surely getting longer. We hosted 24 guests and were able to send four additional lucky people home with dinner. Sarita Eisenberg was top chef with the many able assistants, Chaya Kotlowitz, Charles Steindel, and Sarah Steindel ably preparing a delicious and colorful feast. Jonah and Madeline were the teen volunteers who did anything and everything that was needed to help. Lou Hammerman pitched in as both a server and a pot washer par excellence.
Report from Captain Linda Ariel:
With the days lengthening and the temperatures still fluctuating in early spring, we hosted twenty-four guests with three additional people who were fortunate to take away food, since there was limited space in the cafe. Sarita Eisenberg and Sarah Steindel were the chefs for the evening and were assisted by Susan Rosenblatt and Lou Hammerman as sous chefs, servers, and cleanup crew. Amalia, Noah, and Orly were teen helpers who assisted in every task of the evening. The MESH staff of Adrienne, Bonny and Joe pitched in as they always do with their expertise and familiarity with many of our guests. Continue reading