Today marks three months since we have been sheltered in place and working from home. The one thing we miss most about not being at the office, is seeing our volunteers on a regular basis. At Maot Chitim we greatly appreciate the people who make this all possible. It takes a dedicated team to bring our mission to life and we couldn’t do what we do without you. This month we would like to spotlight one volunteer in particular.
Meet Meira Mainzer
Meira Mainzer is a friendly, familiar face at Maot Chitim. Each week, Meira walks through our door and volunteers her valuable time. Whether it’s inputting information in the computer, helping with donation deposits, or even stuffing envelopes, Meira graciously tackles the task at hand.
Meira lives in Chicago with her husband Jim. She is a retired Judaic Studies teacher at Ida Crown Jewish Academy. Post retirement, while Meira was caring for her ill parents, she received an outpouring of love and support from the community. After their passing, she searched for a way to give back to the community as her way of saying “thank you.” Lucky for us, she found Maot Chitim, then located in nearby Lincolnwood. Meira found our organization and our environment to be “comfortable and convenient.” That was June of 2012. Six years later Maot Chitim moved to Northbrook. Meira’s love and devotion to Maot Chitim was apparent by her willingness to drive the now, not-so-convenient added distance to continue her volunteering. When Joellyn gave her specific weekly tasks, she felt an immediate commitment to Maot Chitim. What’s even more inspiring about Meira is she continues to thank us for letting her volunteer. Her dedication did not go unnoticed when she had to arrange a driver to take her back and forth to Northbrook each week.
When asked “Why Maot Chitim?” she explained that she felt like things were “moving full circle.” As a child she remembers her father starting a charity in South Florida. It involved collecting money to buy food for the elderly people in need. Charity work is something that has always been a part of her life. Meira’s favorite part about volunteering is it provides her with an “opportunity to use her time productively.”
In her free time, Meira likes to work on her needlework and visit her children and grandchildren who live in New York, Maryland, Minneapolis and Israel.
This month marks Meira’s 8th anniversary volunteering at Maot Chitim. Happy Anniversary Meira! Thank you for your hard work, dedication, commitment, and support.
If you would like to nominate a volunteer to be in the spotlight, please send your nomination to wlevy@maotchitim.org
Lastly, please consider making a donation to Maot Chitim in honor of someone “spotlight worthy” in your life. Your valuable donation is a wonderful way of saying “thank you and I (we) appreciate you,” and at the same time helping us feed those in need. Thank you for your continued support.
Stay healthy and safe!
Your Maot Chitim Family
