Three summers ago, I was lying on my couch in terrible pain from messing up my back.  Every time I moved, I was yelling out loud (it is good I live alone or I would have scared someone),  It was a beautiful day and all I wanted was to be outside enjoying the summer, playing golf or tennis or anything, other than being stuck lying on my couch.  A little depression was settling in.

I was watching the news, seeing people being made homeless in Newark from an apartment fire and watching families, with little children, trying to cross the border after walking 2000 miles to get to the US.  I had an epiphany;  at least one million people would like my life, pain and all, lying on my leather couch, watching my big screen TV, in my air-conditioned house, with my refrigerator filled with food. No matter how bad my day was, it would be a great day for many people around the world.  I have been blessed.

Shomrei Gives Back was a way for our community to make a conscious effort to give to people in our Essex county community who do not have our leather couches nor our big screen TVs, nor our filled refrigerators or even a bed.

On Sunday, we were able to accomplish:

• Making 100 sandwiches and stuffing sandwich bags to give to MESH who are distributing to homeless and food-challenged guests.
• Stuffing 24 laundry baskets with cleaning supplies to give to Family Promise for people who have found a new home.
• Packing 100 bags of groceries for low-income and/or shut-in seniors.
• Assembling 20 pantry bags for families who have a loved one being detained in Delaney Hall.
• Sorting bags of spring/summer clothing which were donated to the Human Needs Food Pantry.  And also donating cartons of cereal we collected in the cereal drive.
• Colored Thank You cards for families who adopt a pet from the Montclair Animal Shelter.
• And the Shomrei grounds were weeded and the library organized.

Our social action partners are more than grateful for all we did and donated to help their clients.  The need keeps increasing.

I want to thank all the volunteers, who helped plan and lead this event, the people who came to participate and did the mitzvot, and those who made donations (supplies or financial) to support Shomrei Gives Back.  I also want to thank the Starr family for their grant. Carol Starr would have been the first person in the Social Hall on Sunday.

Whenever you are having a bad day, remember at least one million people wish they were having your bad day.  It really helps to put things into perspective.

Cheers,
Fern