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Organization
update:
Bnai
Raphael’s
Chesed Organization
is named for Rabbi Raphael Guy who came to South East Brooklyn in 1989
and helped many people do Teshuva(returning to true Judaism) by
donating his time and efforts to outreach and Chesed (doing righteous
deeds). In Honor of
his
success we have named the organization after him and hope that Hashem
will give him strength to continue his great work were he now resides
in
Los
Angeles ,
California .
Newsletter
Bnai
Raphael publishes a newsletter that reaches out and is read by well
over 50,000 families across America. The newsletter also
includes an organization update which
describes the various services we provide to the Jewish
community.
We invite you and your friends to take
advantage of any of the
services that are helpful to you.
If you know someone who would benefit from
receiving this
newsletter, please call us. By doing this they will be added onto our
mailing list at no charge! Please
be sure to include all
information including full name,
address, phone number and e-mail address.Our telephone numbers are
718-951-2302/917-861-7282. Fax number 718-951-2090. We can be reached
at www.bnairaphaelchesed.com/bnairaphael@yahoo.com .
Bnai
Raphael Chesed Organization
This
website give our friends and membership of Bnai Raphael Chesed
Organization an overview of the important work being done here. Our
mission is to combat poverty and make the daily lives of those we touch
a little easier and simpler.
Chesed
Store
The
Chesed Store is a "Client Choice" grocery style Kosher food pantry. It
is located at 2917 Ave. K (Between E29th St. and Nostrand Ave.). The
hours are Sunday-Thursday 9:30am to 5pm and Friday 9am-2pm.We provide
kosher food products and fresh produce free of charge to the
community.By joining the Chesed organization, a family receives a
membership card, and are entitled to visit the food pantry once a week.
At the
time of this writing, we
are serving as many as 800 families a week with Kosher food products.
Our goal is to help as many of our fellow Jews as possible. This
includes both large and small families, single mothers, and a growing
elderly population. All the food items including fresh produce are
donated to the food pantry from a few independent soures who have made
it their mission to help the needy and less fortunate in the community.
The food items are being delivered on a regular basis , with an
emphisis on nutrition.
Bnai
Raphael Chesed Organization
Boro Park
Bnai
Raphael Chesed Organization has a Boro Park location as well, for those
in need
in that area. The
address is 1312
45th Street,
(between 13th and 14th
avenues). The
manager in Boro Park
is Rabbi Gross.
Wholesaler/Distributor/Retailer
If
you are a wholesaler, distributor,
or
retailer, and can donate food items or merchandise in any condition
that can be
picked up by one of our trucks you can qualify for a tax deductible
receipt. Please
contact us for
further information about becoming a
member or to make a donation.
We
at Bnai Raphael Chesed Organization
realize that “poverty does not discriminate.”
We will never turn away a person in need.
Bnai
Raphael Cross Section of Jewish community
Bnai
Raphael Chesed Organization represents a cross section of the Jewish
community. We serve
American born,
Russian and Israeli immigrants, the elderly as well as very large
low-income
families. This
includes many single
mothers struggling to raise their children in very difficult times.
Client
Choice Kosher Food Pantry
The
donated food products which are strictly Kosher food
products are
beautifully displayed
and easily reached and delivered to the pantry on a regular
basis. Since the “Chesed Store”is
a “Client Choice”
grocery style Kosher food pantry, those signed up are entitled to visit
the
pantry once a week. With a supermarket style shopping cart in hand the
clients
are encouraged to walk up and down the well stocked aisles
Families are
encouraged to choose those food
products that best
suit their needs in
quantities that are appropriate. We
pride ourselves on very good nutritional food items. And, we know that
when a
family walks out of the “Chesed Store,” they will tell their friends
and
neighbors about the excellent service they receive at the pantry.
Maos
Chittim Campaign
These
past two years Bnai Raphael Chesed Organization has conducted a
successful
Passover “Maos Chittim” food campaign.
With
G-d’s help we were able to distribute Pesach foods which included
matzo, wine,
meat, eggs, as well as many other Kosher for Passover food items, to
well over
3,000 needy Jewish
families. Our goal
this year is to help many more
families.
Shidduch
Service
Bnai
Raphael Chesed Organization realizes that there are many single people
in the
Jewish community. Many
of these people
have no one to turn to when looking for an appropriate marriage
partner. Therefore, Bnai Raphael is
offering a Jewish
matchmaking service which is available for singles..
It is also available for divorced, single
parents, widows, and widowers, who are seeking our help and wish
another chance
at marriage. Jewish
singles over the age
of 18 years of age, are invited to join the Shidduch Program through
Bnai
Raphael Chesed Organization. Meetings
are arranged in a completely appropriate manner.
A short personal questionaire with a Polaroid
picture is included in the single’s profile.
That is all that is necessary to have access
to this very special
service. There is a
one time fee of
$10. After that it
is completely free of
charge.
Free/
or Low Cost Health Insurance
Since
the cost of affordable health insurance has skyrocketed these past few
years,
we here at Bnai Raphael Chesed Organization are aware that many
families are
uninsured, and have limited or no access to medical insurance.
So, for those single
parents, low
income families with children, we are able to
assist them in applying
for the free/ or low cost health insurance progrqm that is being
offered through
the state. For
children ages 0-18, may
be eligible of Children’s Health Insurance Program, a/k/a CHP/MA
program. Adults,
ages 19-64 may be eligible for the
Family Health Plus, a/k/a FHP/MA program,
is free of charge for qualifying individuals
and families. All
benefits are subject to approval by New
York State Department of Health. Family
Health Plus provides such services as Doctor visits, hospital stays,
prescription drugs, lab tests, x-rays, as well as emergency
services. Vision, hearing and speech
services, (subject
to NY State Department of Health approval) family planning, drug
alcohol and
mental health treatment are part of the program as well. The
state allows a family
to choose from
several plans. We
have a working
relationahip with Affinity Health Plans.
Please call us for further information and
assistance. Complete
privacy is assured.
Seniors
Seniors
75-85 may be eligible for no-cost life insurance.
Call us for details.
We pay close attention to the needs of our
elderly clients that request our assistance.
Cheer-Up
Squad
All
of us know the importance of cheering up a sick child confined to a
hospital
bed, or one who cannot attend school, and
is homebound for extended periods of time due
to serious illness. We
can help arrange a Cheer-Up Squad, to
cheer up the spirits of pediatric and young adults and their families,
to
distract them from their pain, and strengthen their will to get
well. Call us for further
information and be part
of this wonderful Chesed. For
more
information call 1-866-635-4641.(ext 987)
Someach
Nefesh
As
we live in times of great stress, there are many young people today who
are at
risk. If you know a
young woman whose
life has been complicated with painful issues, and
who is looking for a fresh beginning we can
offer encouragement through a program called “Someach Nefesh.”
This program
is specifically
designed for women between the
ages of 18-35. It
is our sincere desire
to help these young people rebuild their lives, so that they can become
stable
and productive members of Klal Yisroel.
Call for information.
Shabbos
in Flatbush
If
you live in the Flatbush area and are looking for a warm, enjoyable
Shabbos
environment complete with Friday night meals, call us several days in
advance
and we can set you up with a wonderful Shabbos host.
Call for more information.
Beginners
Hebrew
School
A
beginners Hebrew
School
is available for youngsters ages
5-13. The hours are
from 10-12 Sunday
mornings. Children
attending this
program will develop a true sense of Jewish pride, and at the year’s
end will
have learned the Hebrew Aleph-Bet, holiday observance, as well as an
appreciation for their Jewish heritage.
Adult classes are being offered as well.
Call for details.
Placement
of Junior High and High School Boys.
Boys
of High School age,
grades 7-12 who are
currently attending Public Schools and are interested in receiving a
Yeshiva
education can contact Aliza for details.1-917-560-7191.
These programs are geared specifically to beginners in Judaism
and who
are new to Jewish
Education. Generous
scholarships are
available for deserving families,and who are struggling
financially. Dormitory
accommodations are available for
out-of-towners. The
dormitory is
centrally located in the Flatbush vicinity.
Additional tax deductions are available when
items as used cars, SUV’s,
used trucks or boats are donated.
Any
real property is accepted. These
donations can help the Yeshiva program tremendously.
Chesed
Program in Israel/Clothing Drive
This
past year has been one of great difficulty for our Jewish brothers in
Israel. The need was great on many
levels. For those
families displaced from their Gush
Katif homes we sent (8) containers of semi-new clothing. We sent
(1) container of
clothing to the
Northern part of Israel made destitute by the war in Lebanon, as well
as
fifteen (15) additional containers to the poor throughout Israel.
This was made possible
with the help of
several organizations. Each
container
held about 1,500 boxes of clothing weighing a total weight for all the
containers, came to about 600,000 lbs.
Our affiliate in Israel
oversees the distribution. And,
we are
proud to say that since the beginning of the clothing drive to the
present
time, based on our combined efforts to assist the needy families in
Israel with
the joint effort of other organizations we have successfully
distributed a
total of twenty-four (24) containers.
--Appreciation
for Chesed Programs--
As
Jews we believe that one Jew must always feel the pain of another Jew,
and help
them in their time of need through chesed.
We want to thank all those people who took it
upon themselves to
participate in the clothing drive, by donating, volunteering, packaging
the
clothing, or contributing to the financial needs of the project.
May Hashem bless them for
being a part of
this holy project.
Volunteers
and Food Donations
Volunteers
are needed! It is
our obligation to help
get members of our community back on their feet.
We need volunteers to stuff envelopes and do
all
different kinds of paperwork. We
are always in need of food donations - preferably canned or
boxed goods (everything
you bring must be sealed and have a proper
Kashrut symbol, (hechscher) and of course
monetary donations are
graciously accepted. Checks
can be made
out to Bnai Raphael Chesed Organization.
We are also able to accept credit card
donations. Bnai
Raphael Chesed Organization is a
non-profit organization, with a 501 (c) 3 status and depend on the kind
and
generous contributions of the community.
--Questions--
For
questions that you have regarding our work call
718-951-2302/917-861-7282. Please
visit us at the same address at 2917
Avenue K, Brooklyn
NY 11210 and
let us know that you would
like to see “Chesed in Action.”
--Food
and Clothing drop-off sites--
Food
donations should be brought directly to The Chesed Store, located at
2917 Ave. K, between E29th St. and Nostrand Ave .We also accept
clothing in good condition which we distribute to needy
families and individuals in Israel. The clothing drop-off site is
separate from the food donations. For more information on where to
bring clothing donations please contact us at 718-951-2302 or
917-861-7282.
Encouraging
Friendship and Chesed in the Community.
As
we wish our community a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year we also
must do our best to
make it happen. If
you have a family
member, neighbor, or friend who is not a shabbat observer, please
invite them
over to your house for a shabbat meal.
In a gentle and calm way try to show them the
beauty of shabbat and what
welcoming the shabbat is all about.
If
you invite a woman over for Friday night, please show her how to light
the
shabbat candles, and explain the meaning and beauty behind this
precious
mitzvah. If we all
reach out to just one
person or family in the community then imagine what tremendous light
that we
could bring into the world, and what that would do for our
community. Through this mitzvah the
problem of
assimilation can be defeated; future Jewish souls will be saved
Please
keep in mind that “Tzedakah Tatzil Mimavet.”
“Charity saves from Death”.
In
the great merit of charity, may we all be blessed with a year of
health,
happiness, and prosperity. By
remembering
Bnai Raphael Chesed Organization with your kind donation you will leave
your
legacy to a most worthwhile project.
You
will be rewarded a thousandfold.
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