Is this the fast that I desire? ... to share your bread with the hungry
From the prophet Isaiah, haftarah reading for Yom Kippur
On Yom Kippur the prophet Isaiah calls on us to feed others’ bodies as part of our day-long fast. Whether you plan to attend in person or on Zoom, at HBT, we make this mitzvah easy for you.
Help support the Grow Clinic and Boston Medical center with donations of food, grocery store gift cards, or a check (paid to HBT so that we can send one community contribution).
From now through October 12 you can pick up paper grocery bags from the temple and return the full bags with items from the attached list.
The Grow Clinic also welcomes gift cards to local supermarkets and cash donations. Please make the check out to the Temple, designated for the Grow Clinic. To highlight our collective effort, HBT will send in a single check from all of us.
During the pandemic, Grow Clinic and other Boston Medical Center Pediatric staff personally delivered boxes of food from the pantry to the doorsteps of many desperate households. The referral rate of underweight children to Grow Clinic went up by 40%. Hunger today remains higher than pre-pandemic levels, especially for families of color with children.
We and the patients we serve are dreading September because of the planned termination of some of the public supports such as increases in SNAP (food stamps) that were put in place during the pandemic. While school nutrition programs may buffer the impact for older children, the families who bring their underweight infants and toddlers to Grow Clinic cannot expect this support. In addition we are bracing for a large influx of refugees from Haiti following the recent assassination.
If you’re unable to pick up groceries but would still like to contribute, please make a monetary donation directly to the Grow Clinic at Boston Medical Center.
Your support is critical at this time and will make an immediate difference in the lives of our neighbors struggling with food insecurity.