Every year we create an amazing community at Grassroots, one which is full of warmth, friendship and a brilliant can-do attitude. The Tzedakah project is a way of spreading these qualities outside our walls, enabling our community to have an impact which goes beyond the religious and spiritual, and beyond our postcode.
We’ve taken ‘food and refuge’ as our theme. We have chosen this because food is an integral element of our Grassroots experience – all those pot-luck lunches! – and seeking refuge has been a recurring experience for us as Jews over the centuries.
We’ve designed the project so that people can contribute in different, equally valued ways, whether it is your time, your money, your support, or your singing voice.
As part of this year's refugee theme GRJ is raising money for the Bike Project, a brilliant charity which fixes second-hand bikes and donates them to asylum seeking refugees. Non-members, and members if they wish, will be asked to donate a small sum every time they attend one of the wonderful events being planned for the Elul programme. As well as donating here!
For every £5 raised, the Bike Project will be able to add a new set of lights to a refurbished bike, and for every £10 they will be able to supply a helmet or a bike lock.
The impact that such relatively small donations could have on a refugee’s quality of life is mind-blowing. So please give generously.
Other opportunities to volunteer your time and energy through GRJ this year are with Clara Nehab House, which provides residential and dementia care for the senior Jewish community and also with FEAST! where every Thursday you can join a friendly crew cooking a delicious dinner for a local homeless shelter, Conway House, in Kilburn. For more info on these great charities and GRJs 2016 Tzedakah Project please see our weekly newsletter.
