Advocacy and Tzedakah - Ma'yan Tikvah

Send Your Ideas for Tzedakah and Advocacy Projects to Ma'yan Tikvah.
Environmental Project Do you have books you don't need on your shelves? Do you have books you want to read? You can now swap them with other avid readers through Paper Back Book Swap. All you do is pay the postage. Try it out and save some trees at the same time.
Our Previous Projects
July Tzedakah/Environmental Project I would like to introduce you to Chencho Alas and his peace, environmental, sustainability, and poverty-fighting work in Central America. I met Chencho when I went on an American Jewish World Service rabbinical school delegation trip to El Salvador in 2005, my last year in rabbinical school. It was an amazing trip, and Chencho is an amazing man. You can learn about his organization, the Foundation for Sustainability and Peacemaking in Mesoamerica, by clicking here. I encourage you to learn about Chencho's work and make a donation to help them. Thanks so much.
May Tzedakah/Environmental Project. In response to what may become the nation’s worst environmental disaster in decades, the Greater New Orleans Foundation has opened the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund. Proceeds from this fund will support work that helps the communities most affected by the oil spill in Plaquemines, St. Bernard, and lower Jefferson Parishes. To learn more and to make a donation, click here.
April Tzedakah/Peace Project In May, the Parents Circle is launching "A Crack in the Wall" an exciting innovative initiative to use platforms such as Facebook, Twitter to engage in ongoing conversation and communication between Palestinians and Israelis, and now the whole world. Every week a current news topic will be chosen for discussion and messages can be sent to the Palestinian or the Israeli virtual wall in response to these topics and immediately some 100,000 Israelis or Palestinians will see it. Watch www.theparentscircle.org for further details. One of the Forum’s most vital and successful projects is the High School Encounter Dialogues program. In the encounters, two Forum members, one Israeli and one Palestinian, show students on the cusp of adulthood through-out Israel, East Jerusalem and (when possible) the West Bank that reconciliation and peace between Israelis and Palestinians are achievable. Approximately 40,000 students are reached every year and more than 229 classrooms have already heard the program’s message this year. Click here to make a donation.
March Tzedakah Project: This month we spend time preparing for and starting to celebrate Passover, and so much of Passover is about food. So, let us donate to Mazon, the Jewish Response to Hunger and help out those who do not have enough to eat. We will collect donations at our workshop and seder, or you can donate on line by clicking here.
As a second project, Marianne and Jay provided information about arson attacks in January against a 600-year-old synagogue on Crete. If you go to www.yiddishbookcenter.org you will be able to read about this and see a list of the many books they are hoping to replace. Money can also be sent to the synagogue to replace the books. Click here to make a donation.
March Environmental Project This month we will learn about the environmental and peace work of the Heritage Wheat Conservancy. Come to our workshop (click on Services and Events above) or click here make a donation on line to support their work.
June Tzedakah/Environmental Project. During the month of June, every donation to the Massachusetts Audubon Society will be matched by generous donors up to a maximum of $100,000. A gift of $18 will grow to $36, a gift of $50 will become $100, and $100 increases to $200. Help preserve open space in Massachusetts by clicking here and making a donation.

Starting on Earth Day, April 22, you’ll be able get up to a $250 rebate to exchange your old refrigerator, dishwasher, clothes washer, or freezer and buy a new energy efficient model that will save you money on your electric bill for years to come. However, these rebates will only be available for a limited two week period so you should start planning now if you want to take advantage of this offer. To get the rebate, you will need to visit a participating retailer, go www.masssave.com/residential and use the online tool, or call 1-877-627-9721. Go to Mass Save to get more information.

February Tzedakah Project: The disaster in Haiti continues. Partners in Health has been on the ground there for many years and is doing great work with almost no overhead. Click here for more information about the work they are doing and to make a donation.

February Advocacy/Environmental Project: The LEES Group (members of Shir Tikva, First Parish, the Islamic Center of Boston, Pine Brook Association and Camp Chickami) would like to see the Lee’s Farmstand land on Route 20 purchased by the town of Wayland by accessing Community Preservation Act funds and transformed into a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Farm and farmstand. A CSA farm would also provide opportunities for social interaction, education, and family fun. This would be a wonderful outdoor classroom for Wayland students and could even provide a supply of healthy and fresh food for the school cafeterias. In addition to serving as an outdoor classroom, the Wayland Community Farm would also:
• Offer naturally grown vegetables at a good price to shareholders;
• Sell produce retail at a three season farmstand;
• Operate a weekly Farmer’s Market open to other farmers/producers;
• Provide surplus food to local food banks; and
• Offer summertime farming activities to local organizations, e.g. Camp Chickami, the Boy and Girl Scouts, etc. Click here to download to petition to circulate in Wayland and surrounding communities. To get on an email list to get updates about the project or for more information, contact farringtonfamily1@verizon.net.

January Tzedakah Project: Bring a warm gently used sweater or coat or new warm socks or underwear or other winter clothing items when you come to a Ma'yan Tikvah event. They will be delivered to the Brigham and Women's Hospital to be given out to poor or homeless patients to help them stay warm after they leave the hospital.

January Advocacy/Environmental Project: The Friends of the Wayland Rail Trail are looking for support for the rail trail in Wayland. Read and Sign Their Petition Here They are seeking resources and funds from the town of Wayland, state and federal agencies, as well as local businesses. They are looking for many signatures to demonstrate the broad support for the rail trail and to enable them to secure funding and resource. You can sign even if you don't live in Wayland. The Friends anticipate that the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will complete a 99 year lease with the MBTA in the spring. Once the lease is completed, Wayland can start to work with DCR to design and build the trail.

2009 Projects
2008 Projects