Temple Israel Delivers a Christmas Blessing

Family Promise is incredibly fortunate to have many supporters and friends, and Temple Israel of Ridgewood has been counted among them for many years. This past Christmas of 2022, the Temple was asked if they could “help” provide the meal at the Walk-in Dinner. Not only was the answer a resounding “YES” but the synagogue stepped up and both cooked and donated the entire meal themselves! There were 248 meals served that day with plenty of leftovers. Every guest got almost two full meal trays, one cold and one hot.

There are many people to thank, beginning with Sue Hill who took this on graciously and enthusiastically. Sue has been a dedicated volunteer for decades and she worked out the logistics needed to get the job done.

Amanda Rohrberger was there from day one to work with Sue and get things organized.

Our thanks to Nadine Genet, Linda Paige, and all the other temple members who cooked, donated, or volunteered on Christmas. And special thanks to Rabbi Fine for his support and willingness to use the Temple’s kitchen over several days.

We also appreciate that many of our regular WIDP volunteers came out on Christmas to help pack and distribute the delicious turkey dinner. Team Leader Ann Marie McCann kept the day running smoothly and Tommy Mergola was there to assist. We are grateful to have had both of them there.

Thank you Melody Garcia for the large fruit donation.

Everyone worked hard and there were many compliments on the dinner! A true team effort to deliver a very special meal to the guests on Christmas Day.