101 and More to Come!

This Sunday's Senior Lunch Program was marked down in Met Council's calendar with many an asterisk and other funky decorations, as this was a very special day. Met Council is so proud to announce that we celebrated an exciting feat accomplished by Polina, one of our lovely 3rd Avenue residents...Her 101st birthday!!

There were 25 residents in attendance, including Polina's family, and 14 volunteers from Park Avenue Synagogue who were referred to the program by UJA. According to Julia, one of our very dedicated volunteer leaders who staffed the event, people were playing the piano, singing and having a blast. Cake was served and Polina was given a gift on behalf of Met Council.

We are so honored to have provided this incredible opportunity to celebrate the life of a Met Council resident.

Best wishes to Polina and her family!

A Hallmark Volunteer: Stacey Cohen, Volunteer of the Month

In the summer of 2009, Stacey Cohen, a life-long New Yorker, responded to President Obama’s call to service to help revitalize local communities. In her search for a place to volunteer, Stacey found Met Council on a government website.

“The work of Met Council really appealed to me,” says Stacey, “since they provide so many different types of services that reach so many people.”

Because of her artistic skills, Stacey began to volunteer for the Sunshine Greeting Card Program that has volunteers make cheerful greeting cards for homebound and socially isolated senior citizens. Since that time, Stacey has made over 150 greeting cards and volunteered over 100 hours.

“To me the most rewarding part of being a volunteer is that through the Sunshine Greeting Card Program, I know that I am touching the lives of people who I haven’t met and who I may never get to know,” says Stacey.

There are currently 83,000 Jewish seniors in the New York region that live alone, 25,000 of them have no adult children living in the area. Volunteers like Stacey Cohen make sure that they don’t feel as alone and isolated. If you’d like to volunteer for the Sunshine Greeting Card Program, please contact volunteer@metcouncil.org.

6th Graders Pound the Pavement

In preparation for their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, the 6^th graders of the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale wanted to experience what it felt like to be a “chesed-doer,” or someone who performs an act of loving-kindness. What better way to feel the powerful effects of doing chesed than volunteering for Met Council’s POS program?

The Paperless Office System (POS) is an exciting program in collaboration with Met Council, Human Resources Administration (HRA), Single Stop USA and the Robin Hood Foundation that allows New Yorkers to have improved access to public benefits, such as Food Stamps and Medicaid. In an effort to spread the word about this program, the students distributed over 2,500 pamphlets to various businesses throughout Co-op City.

After the students distributed the materials, they discussed their experiences and how their volunteer efforts were in line with the concept of doing chesed. Their understanding and appreciation for the project they undertook was evident in their positive feedback. Met Council is so proud to have facilitated this empowering experience for the 6^th graders of the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale and hopes that this volunteer opportunity will instill within them the obligation to continue performing tikkun olam or “repairing of the world.”

Thanksgiving Dinner with Low Income Seniors

On Sunday, November 21st, the Met Council Volunteer Department’s annual Thanksgiving extravaganza mobilized over 40 volunteers to feed a traditional turkey dinner to 60 low income senior clients at two Manhattan housing sites. This year we were bigger than ever – doubling our programming to reach more clients at more Met Council community locations.

The day began early on Sunday morning with volunteers from Met Council’s Valuable Players (MVPs), a group of young dedicated leaders in their 20s and 30s. MVP volunteers cooked dinner for 60 in our kosher kitchen and made a traditional Thanksgiving meal that included turkey, string beans, sweet potato and cranberries, parsnip-apple mash, and salad.

After the meal was done, individual volunteers and a UJA-Federation volunteer group served dinner at two of our low income senior housing sites in Manhattan. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, volunteers and clients got together to foster a sense of community and giving.

None of this could have happened without Monita Buchwald, the supervising chef who created the menu, came up with the list of ingredients, executed the cooking, and instructed the volunteers. Monita, a recipe tester for Martha Stewart Living, had been a dedicated volunteer with Met Council and has leaded many cooking classes for our clients.

Click here to see more photos of the event. Our holiday programming is not over yet - to get more involved email volunteer@metcouncil.org. Happy Thanksgiving!

JCCA Volunteers at Senior Lunch Program

On Sunday, November 14th, 10 teenagers from the JCCA Bukharian Teen Lounge volunteered at our Senior Lunch Program. This week, a total of 17 seniors attended the lunch - a group that consisted of our "regulars" and a few new faces! The volunteers and residents were constantly engaged with one other, whether it involved taking a meal order or just having a regular conversation. Every Sunday, our goal is to make sure that all of the residents who attended leave with a full stomach and in great spirits. As per usual, mission accomplished!

Veterans Day Celebration

For Veterans Day, Met Council staff and volunteers held a ceremony for the 22 formerly homeless housing clients at our Abraham I and II Residences in Sea Gate, Brooklyn. All the residents were invited to attend a ceremony that honored the years of services these vets gave to their country.

Each veteran was asked to state when and where they served as well as to speak about their experiences. From Germany, to Korea, to Vietnam, Met Council clients served in the army, air force, navy, and Marine Corps. The diversity of experience was bridged by swapping war stories about trainings in Fort Hamilton or the cold temperatures in Korea. At the end of the day, each veteran was given a Met Council backpack with a Veterans Day t-shirts and a military pin that showed the insignia of each veteran’s regiment.

JCORPS volunteers at the Senior Lunch Program

Met Council teamed up with 15 JCORPS volunteers to serve hot kosher meals to 19 low income seniors at our housing site in Manhattan’s east side, as part of our Senior Lunch Program. The purpose of this program is multi-faceted: one, to ensure that our low income clients receive a hot, nutritious meal; two, to provide a social network for volunteers; and three, to create a sense of community in the housing site so that residents get to know their neighbors. Every resident that attended the program was greeted, seated, served a delicious meal, and interacted with! It was evident that everyone was having a good time, as the room was glowing with smiling faces. We very much look forward to the next Senior Lunch Program!

Want to get involved? Contact Sarah at sleiner@metcouncil.org or check out Met Council's other volunteer projects at www.metcouncil.org/volunteer