Events

Exercise and Giving: A Perfect Pair

Nonprofit organizations are always looking for innovative and exciting ways to raise money. When organized exercise became popular in the sixties and seventies, nonprofits used the trend to gain enthusiasm for their causes. Americans loved the idea of using charity as a motivation to take on physical challenges, and the idea caught on quickly. Here is a brief timeline of exercise as a fundraising method:

1970: The first nationwide charity walk, March for Babies, raises $75,000.

1985: Relay for Life is founded and introduces the concept of fundraising teams to exercise fundraisers.

1988: As running gains mainstream popularity, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society starts sending runners to destination races if they can reach fundraising goals.

1998: The first Avon walk for breast cancer inspires thousands of dedicated participants to return year after year.

2009: The first Warrior Dash, benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, is a mud-filled obstacle course extravaganza. Crazy, messy, and unique exercise fundraisers start popping up everywhere.

2011: Charity Miles, an app that donates money to a charity of the user’s choice for every mile they run or bike, is created. Today, people can be motivated to donate money through exercise without signing up for a race.

Over the years, exercise-based fundraising has come a long way. Coming up on June 30th, Maot Chitim board members will be participating in the Midwest Charities Midwest Charity Ride. We will Bike to Feed the Hungry, benefitting Maot Chitim and several other Jewish charities. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in this fun event and hope to see you there! More information can be found at MCRide.org.

Thank You, Volunteers!

The very heartbeat of a non-profit organization is its volunteers. While some charitable organizations offer food delivery and nourishment for their communities, Maot Chitim of Greater Chicago volunteers provide nourishment to hearts and souls.

Why You Are Needed

Many people think kosher foods are simply blessed by a rabbi, but there is much more involved in kosher food production. You can see why their prices prohibit many of our Chicago-area neighbors from traditional worship:

…Most reliable kosher agencies require full-time supervision for Passover production. And it’s not just for the finished product, but for each of its ingredients. Take, for example, that expensive bottle of ketchup. …Not only does the ketchup have to be made under full-time supervision for Passover, but so do the spices, vinegar, and oils that flavor it. …In just about all the cases, companies must clean production equipment thoroughly to get rid of any non-kosher-for-Passover ingredients. –Benyamin Cohen

How We Benefit When You Volunteer

Our recipients say your smiling face and compassionate attitude lift their spirits.
When you tell others about volunteering, you act as a public relations asset!
You allow us to focus on our daily tasks when you focus on “the real work;” packaging and food delivery.
You keep us informed about people in the Jewish community who need our help.
You often bring new ideas and better ways of doing what we have done over 100 years.
Your energy invigorates us and inspires us to continue doing what we do.
Your feedback and suggestions help us help others.

This year our warehouse is located at 7080 N McCormick, in Lincolnwood. We will be delivering enough food to feed over 15,000 people. Please join us on March 25th!

Leaving a Legacy for the Future

You are following those who cared for you, taught you, loved you . . . The ones who left a legacy for you. Now, it’s your turn. Leaving a legacy is important! Think about the people who ensured a legacy for us:

Grandparents
Neighbors
Men and women who pursued better lives for us and future generations; politicians, scientists, explorers
Our founding fathers
Parents
Teachers, coaches

These are the people who have shaped the way you live today, and many of them may have left you both memories and legacies you won’t soon forget. Living a good life means taking what you have and making it what you want it to be.

Why Leaving a Legacy for the Future is Important

All of us are leaving legacies to those who follow; most of us have strived to live moral, healthy lives without harming others – and when possible, helped others. Here’s why we should remember that our legacies are important:

Leaving a legacy is an act of responsibility. Good men and women don’t simply leave behind good or bad memories (legacies) for others. They create their legacies by building a life founded upon caring enough about others to leave them a meaningful and positive legacy.

We are stewards of this world; we should leave it better than we found it.

We can curb our selfishness by thinking about the legacies we leave. Leaving money so that a hospital wing or art gallery bears your name is one thing. But when you donate that money in the true spirit of helping others, you’re helping yourself, too. Every day lived well, with a sense of purpose and a goal to help others increases your happiness and wellness.

With your help

As you sit near your fireplace or snuggle on the couch with your favorite afghan and a cup of warm tea, you feel safe and protected against the winter winds, hunger, and fear of famine. But did you know Jewish families live in poverty, close to your home? With your help, Maot Chitim of Greater Chicago has established a tradition of charity to our people in need for over 100 years. And now, if we raise enough new donations before June 30, 2018, Maot Chitim will receive an additional $10,000 through an incentive grant! When you join the Maot Chitim Legacy Society, your gift will sustain Chicago-area Jewish families in need for many years. Your bequest can be included in:

Cash or assets
Charitable gift annuity
Charitable remainder trust
IRA or pension funds
Life insurance
Your will

Call 847.674.3224 or contact Maot Chitim of Greater Chicago today to help us meet the requirements of this incentive grant.

There are certain things we can only do together. -Barack Obama

How to Involve Children in Volunteering

The concept of volunteering is difficult to explain to a small child, but they appreciate that helping others is a good thing. By the age of 4, most children understand, “I need help with dusting furniture,” and many can say, “I need a volunteer…”

Tips to Involve Children in Volunteering
Our friends at PBSparents offer the following tips to help you teach your child the value of volunteering:

First, be a role model.
Children copy their parents; when they see you helping others, they will want to do it as well. Two-thirds of children who volunteer become active volunteers as adults.
Choose an activity that offers immediate results.
Children get the most out of volunteering when they can see positive results. A littered park that is clean as the result of their efforts is a good example.
Find a fun, engaging volunteer activity.
Remember to choose volunteering for children that is age-appropriate and more like fun than work. Most children love animals, so walking dogs or taking a dog to a nursing home to visit patients might be a good idea. One pre-k teacher says the formula is 2x their age + one. That means 8-year-olds’ activity focus is solid for about 20 minutes; change their tasks as often as necessary.
Make volunteering as a family a regular activity.
Annual or more frequent volunteering as a family makes a huge impact on youngsters.
Pick a volunteer effort they choose and include it in the family calendar.
Children will be more excited if they can “see” their activity is just as important as the rest of the family’s.
Volunteering can be simple.
Choosing a toy from their toybox or shopping for a toy to donate is easy, especially when children physically place it among other donations.

Charity Begins at Home (Chicago)
We need volunteers to package and deliver food to those who are unable to afford sometimes-expensive foods need to worship in a traditional, Jewish manner at home. Our Passover Delivery Day is March 25th, 2018. It’s a wonderful experience for the entire family. Contact Maot Chitim of Greater Chicago to learn more.

Setting Your Charity Budget for the New Year

For most household budgets, charitable donations fall under the category of “disposable income,” and that indicator isn’t quite as strong. Income is rising, but the growth rate of disposable income has been slow.

Most how-to-donate advice says to stop donating sporadic, small amounts and focus on one or two charities, building your donation into your budget so they can build their budget based on your donation. It makes sense! But make no mistake – there are no charities that will turn away donations of any size, and we’re not too proud to beg, either!

How to Help

Even if you’ve never made regular donations to a charitable organization, you can build financial support into your budget. Here’s how:

Pick Your Cause

“The more you can align your actions with your beliefs, the happier you will start to become in every area of your life.” –Kate Dillman

Focus on your values and explore your passions. If easing hunger or preventing animal cruelty is something you would like to support, go that direction and research local, state, national, or international organizations.

Set Up a Bank Account

Create a savings account called “Donations,” and begin stashing money in it every paycheck. No matter how tight you are that particular pay period or month, there’s always something; buying a grocery store pizza vs. home delivery saves you $10, for example. Ten dollars may not seem like much, but it adds up.

What Can You Sacrifice?

“Your sacrifice doesn’t have to be big.” –Jennifer Bernstein

Your venti mocha latte is almost $5/day or $150/month. Maybe you can make an adjustment in your budget and sacrifice one or two items often enough to make a difference to those who are needy.

Automated Deductions, Donations

If you’re like most people, it’s easier to save money when it is paycheck-deducted. Try to set up auto-deductions into your “Donations” savings account. Once you’ve built up a respectable amount, decide how much you want to donate, how often, and set it up on autopay. Your charity will jump for joy because your monthly or quarterly donation is something they can depend on! They can better balance their own budget, thanks to you.

Matching Gifts

If your company does not have a matching gifts program, make a case for your charity and their help! Even “We’ll think about it,” is better than nothing and may lead to…something.

Maot Chitim of Greater Chicago

If charity begins at home, you have Chicago-area neighbors who will need food and support for the upcoming Passover Holiday. You can help us help them. Contact us to learn more.

Taking on Poverty/Hunger: What You Can Do to Help Now

Our Fall High Holidays are fast approaching! It’s a busy time of year for Jewish families, communities, and organizations like Maot Chitim of Greater Chicago. This year, Elul begins Monday, August 21. This is the perfect time for you, your children, and your grandchildren to begin holiday preparations. It’s also the perfect time to remember our older neighbors and those who are less fortunate.

You Can Help Now

Poverty and hunger don’t take a break during the holidays; if anything, the reality of impoverishment strikes those of our faith even harder. Special foods and our way of worship are deeply entwined whether we are celebrating or mourning. For Rosh Hashanah, round, braided challah bread symbolizes time’s annual cycle. During the month of Tishrei, bread and apples with honey represent our hopes for sweet things to come in the new year!

Your financial support and donations now, before the High Holidays of 2017 can help as many as 15,000 Jewish people worship and observe Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur meaningfully and joyfully. Their gratitude will be your blessing for the new year.

Maot Chitim of Greater Chicago

Your financial support goes beyond the holidays and into the hearts of those who live in poverty, and with hunger every day. Please call 847-674-3224 or contact us if you know of a family in need this time of year. Your referrals are another way to ensure others can worship traditionally.

Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we observe the Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim). This is a time in which we seek a closeness with God; a time for review of last year, atonement and repentance, reconciliation, and forgiveness. As you review what you could have done better or differently, know that when you help Maot Chitim help others, you’ll be blessed into the new year and beyond!

4 Best Ways to Prepare for a Volunteer Event

Volunteer Chima Madu said, “The fact that I am not paid does not mean that I am worthless. It means that I am priceless.” The joy – and blessing – of being a volunteer is that it’s a 2-way street. Serving others can change your life for the good.

Volunteers are needed to offset a charity’s overworked personnel and often, a lack of resources that means administrative staff does more hands-on work. In our case, that would be packing and delivering food boxes for our volunteer events, and we do so gladly and eagerly! But we need help for our volunteer events, and we need our volunteers to prepare themselves, physically and emotionally.

1. Safety

Volunteers are the lifeblood of Maot Chitim, but we don’t want our volunteers to bleed for us by any means! In order to serve as a packing/delivery volunteer, your vehicle and your body should be in good shape and adequately insured. Do not risk injury or illness as a result of any physical activity, no matter how worthy. Remember: You are priceless!

2. Plan for your needs

If you will be volunteering for 1 hour or 6 hours, the night before the event put out your water bottle(s), energy bars, raincoat, sack lunch and anything else you anticipate that will make your day go easily and comfortably.

3. Network with experienced volunteers

You want to be an asset; not someone other volunteers have to “deal with.” Before the volunteer event, discuss procedures that experienced volunteers follow in order to best help the activity flow.

4. Don’t worry, be happy!

Charity is an option for many; for us, it is tzedakah. Even the best coordinated and organized volunteer event can hit some snags. Keep your sense of humor and remember our focus is to serve with a joyful heart! Your bumps in the road will hardly matter.

The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something . . .
If you go out and make some good things happen,
you will fill the world with hope. You will fill yourself with hope.
-Barack Obama