Every Yom Kippur, Rosh Pinah runs a collection drive requesting participants to purchase underwear and socks to be donated to the Midnight Run. On Kol Nidre night, individuals can add to their teshuva with
a very meaningful mitzvah. The overflowing boxes of donated goods which will be personally distributed to those in desperate situations are a gratifying sight.
The Midnight Run is an independent organization set up to distribute food and other needs to homeless individuals in New York City. Area churches and synagogues each take responsibility
for driving a van of volunteers to New York City once a month, locating homeless individuals at various stops and providing food, clothing, toiletries and other items. Rosh Pinah members also
are participants in the runs. Our member and torah reader, Alan Shapiro, has been a run organizer for over twenty years.
Twice a year, usually once in the spring and once in the fall, under the leadership of Lesley Levine, our dedicated kiddush captain, Rosh Pinah takes a turn in preparing a homemade Sunday dinner for
teenagers, age 12-17, who are temporary residents of Sanctuary House. When teens from the Lower Hudson Valley run away from home, are in need of respite services, or otherwise become homeless,
The Children’s Village’s Sanctuary program is often the only thing between them and frightening and dangerous nights on the streets.
With the participation of the various churches and synagogues in the area, these Sunday dinners are provided all through the year.
Rosh Pinah members have participated in various programs sponsored by the Bronx Jewish Community Council. These have included setting up breakfasts and delivering Passover packages.
The Mann Center is a residence which houses teenage girls who have been sexually abused and/or sexually trafficked in the U.S. They have no families, no relatives and no one to care for
them. They come to the Mann Center from psychiatric hospitals and remain there until age 18 or if ready to leave, earlier. There is a fabulous social worker who organizes activities for them and
helps them deal with the "normal " world that we live in. The excellent staff work with the girls to acquire daily and social living skills that they will need.
A representative of Rosh Pinah, under
the auspices of the Interfaith Caring Community, has helped with craft activities at the Mann Center with a leader from Gifted Hands. At a recent activity, the leader and the Rosh Pinah representative
assisted a group of the girls in making tie-dyed tote bags. Based on the report of the Rosh Pinah participant, the chavurah collected contributions on Purim to sponsor a teaching program on cooking and nutrition
to prepare the girls for when they will be living on their own.
