Social Action / Tikkun Olam
Helping our Community and Improving the World
Whether you want to join in a long-term project, participate in an event or just spend a few hours, and whether you want to help within Beth Emeth or in the broader community, there is a role for you and your help is appreciated. Consider spending a little Mitzvah time with the Social Action Committee in 5784!
Volunteer Within Our Own CBE Community
- Find out more about a Committee or Group that interests you
- Volunteer for errands and other needs, especially while older and more vulnerable members are staying home.
- Help Beth Emeth's staff and committees with short-term tasks
Social Action in the Broader Community
A main goal of the Social Action and Community Relations Committee is to increase our congregation’s assistance to the needy. Please join in these efforts in any way you can.
To receive occasional updates about CBE Social Action projects and needs, or if you would like to help with a particular project or have questions or project ideas, please contact social-action@bethemeth.org.
Major Projects
The committee has organized Beth Emeth's participation in projects addressing needs in our local community. See the website menu at right, under Social Action for current projects. Below are annual and ongoing projects:
- The Closet of Herndon (Year-round)
- Yom Kippur Food Drive (Fall)
- Thanksgiving Baskets (November)
- Hypothermia Prevention Week and Dinners (Winter)
- Good Deeds Day (Spring)
- Back to School Drive (Summer)
- Blood Drives, organized by Sisterhood (stay tuned for dates)
Other Mitzvah Opportunities
Below is just a selection of ongoing activities to help our community; for more information or to suggest a project, please contact social-action@bethemeth.org.
A Simple Gesture - AKA "Cool Green Bag"
The CBE Social Action Committee encourages participation a local group called A Simple Gesture. When you sign up, you will be given a cool, green canvas bag. On the first Saturday of every other month, you simply leave the bag outside your front door, filled with non-perishable foods. A volunteer driver from A Simple Gesture will come by, pick up the bag, and leave another cool, green bag. And the bag even has a tag with the pickup schedule and wish list! The food is then taken to the Cornerstones Reston Pantry and the LINK Pantry in Herndon. For more information and to sign up, please go to www.coolgreenbag.org.
Organ Donation
Each year, Congregation Beth Emeth marks Organ Donor/Transplant Awareness Shabbat with a guest speaker related to organ donations, reminding us how important it is to register as an organ donor. You can register at the Virginia DMV or register online now.
Winter Coat Drive
Please donate winter coats for children and adults need. Coats are distributed through the Hunter Mill Supervisor’s Office all winter long. All coats are welcome, but men’s warm winter jackets are needed the most.
Bring your clean, wearable coats to the Hunter Mill District Coat Closet at the North County Governmental Building, 1801 Cameron Glen Drive, Reston, VA 20190. The Coat Closet accepts donations and generally offers coats from November through January; the dates vary each year. Drop off box is available 24 hours a day. (More information.)
Partners in Tikkun Olam
We Belong to Cornerstones (formerly Reston Interfaith), and participate in selected Cornerstones initiatives.
Cornerstones is a community-based nonprofit human service agency that promotes self-sufficiency and supports people in need of food, shelter, affordable housing, childcare and other human services. Founded in 1970 by area religious organizations to encourage the development of affordable housing in the area, Cornerstones has since broadened its offerings to address the most pressing social needs in our community.
Cornerstones is always grateful for non-cash donations, which help furnish transitional homes and the Embry Rucker Emergency Shelter as well as providing needed items for many other programs. Check their wish list for currently-needed items.