MESH Report for September 9, 2025
The MESH season for 2025-2026 kicked off in the Shomrei kitchen with an A+ Team of volunteers including Sarah Steindel, Linda Wieseneck, Joan Zief, Captain Lynne Kurzweil and 5 Star Uber Eats Driver, Shirley Grill.
At first the plan was to prepare Turkey Burgers from scratch, but at the last minute we discovered 54 beef burgers leftover from the Shomrei Welcome Back BBQ on Sunday. We pivoted our plan and into the freezer went 19 lbs of ground turkey, ready and waiting for a future MESH meal. The burgers went on buns with ketchup, mustard and relish each in its own condiment cup. Delicious fresh roasted potatoes and a roasted veggie medley including carrots, broccoli, peppers, green beans and onions rounded out the main course. Everyone received a banana, a chocolate dipped biscotti and a water bottle. We provided 46 meals plus 4 vegan meals swapping out the beef patty with a Beyond Burger and the biscotti with some vegan cookies. We sent over 8 additional beef burgers and buns. The team packed it all up, cleaned up (including numerous sheet pans!) and Shirley delivered the meals to the MESH site 619 Bloomfield Avenue.
Due to the upcoming holidays, Shomrei will provide funding so MESH can purchase meals on the 4th Tuesday in September and the 2nd Tuesday in October. Next date for MESH Meal Prep is Tuesday, 10/28. The signup is live and can be reached via the Volunteer Button on the Shomrei website or by linking to: www.shomrei.org/mesh
L’Shana Tovah, A sweet and Healthy New Year to all.
Lynne
About MESH:
The Carol Starr MESH Cafe at Shomrei (Montclair Emergency Services for Hope) is a cooperative effort between the MESH organization and local synagogues and churches.
Volunteer at Shomrei
signup here
Shomrei provides 50 meals to MESH on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month. We need volunteers to help prepare and pack the food.
For those interested in volunteering who are not available on Tuesday afternoons, we are brainstorming different ways to make it work. Let us know what would work for you.
Additionally, each Monday afternoon, we deliver any usable food leftover from Kiddish to MESH.
Volunteer at the MESH Site
Volunteers are also welcome to help serve food 6 nights a week, Monday through Saturday, 4:30-6:30 pm at the MESH site, 619 Bloomfield Ave, Montclair.
signup here
Monetary Donations
If you can’t help in person, please consider a donation to help fund this important service.
donate here
