Social Action Committee

Temple Beth El - St. Martin's Church Partnership in Homeless Emergencies

Temple Beth-El and St. Martin’s Church have been good neighbors for more than 50 years. This bitterly cold winter, neighborliness has taken on a new meaning as members of St. Martin’s and Beth-El joined forces to provide assistance during the homeless crisis in Rhode Island.

Last fall, Temple member Richard Silverman made a simple inquiry about how our temple might serve those in need in the larger Rhode Island Community. Through the temple’s Social Action Committee, Richard began attending meetings of the Faith Based Organization –Social Service Agency Homeless Emergency Shelter Collaboration. From that point, we connected with St Martin’s Church, and began developing a partnership in this initiative.

Board member Fran Katzanek stepped in as co-chair of the “homeless shelter initiative,” and began to get the word out to the Social Action Committee and the board. During the coldest January in recent history, volunteers were needed to stay in church shelters overnight, prepare and serve breakfasts, and prepare lunches. Rabbi Mack announced the need for assistance from the bimah at Friday evening and Saturday morning services. The response was overwhelming. Board members, congregants and school-aged children all volunteered to help, some to actually visit the shelters to stay awake overnight, others to visit the shelter at 6 a.m. to prepare and serve breakfasts, and others to make bag lunches to be delivered to the shelter. Hundreds of hygiene items were donated by a national drug store chain; a textile firm donated dozens of blankets; new bed pillows, warm bedding and towels, coats, hats and gloves came pouring in.

As the partnership learned of a shelter opening at Grace Church, downtown Providence, Lenore Piper, Social Action Chair, reached out to those attending Saturday morning services. Money and food items were needed to prepare the first lunches to be served at opening day. Once again, our congregants responded. Enough food and monetary donations were made to carry us through the week.

According to Kate Chute, the Chair of St. Martin’s committee, the same response was happening at her church.

As churches and synagogues are used only as overflow sites, after state beds are full, we can never be guaranteed that Grace Church will open at night. So, volunteers must remain flexible and ready to jump in on an “as needed” basis. Some nights we pack the car with bags of sandwiches and breakfast foods, head down to the Church, only to find out that the church will not be open as shelter that evening.

Not one volunteer from either St. Martin’s or Beth-El complains. They realize theirs is a small inconvenience. They go home to a warm house and bed.

The Temple Beth-El – St. Martin’s Church homeless initiative partnership will continue, even as Spring approaches, after all, homelessness does not disappear even if the snow does.

If you would like to learn more about the homeless shelter partnership between Temple Beth-El and St. Martin’s Church, and/or other social action projects, please call Ruby Shalansky at 331-6070.