Beth Emet opened its doors on Nov. 6, 2002, to welcome guests for the first time to our Soup Kitchen. Each Wednesday evening, we serve hot, tasty dinners to about 100 area residents, and also provide each guest with a sack lunch for the next day. The Beth Emet Soup Kitchen is a warm, welcoming place, offering fellowship as well as nourishment.

This program is an exceptional volunteer opportunity for Beth Emet members. Whether you want to work once a month or once a year, your commitment to helping feed hungry people in our community is welcome and needed.

Organize a group. Are you a member of a chug, class, committee or club? We need groups of eight to eleven people who enjoy working together to purchase groceries, prepare and serve the meal, and clean up, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on a Wednesday evening. Please name one member of your group to work with a soup kitchen steering committee member to coordinate the meal. Your group’s members will share the cost of providing the food.

Volunteer as an individual or family from 4:15 p.m. to 7 p.m. on a Wednesday evening. Each volunteer (or family) will be asked to contribute groceries for that night’s menu. Together, the volunteers will prepare the meal, serve and clean up.

Entertain the guests. The soup kitchen committee would like to provide soft background music while our guests dine each Wednesday. If you sing or play a musical instrument, give us a call.

Join the clean-up crew from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on soup kitchen Wednesdays. Help us make sure that our synagogue is clean and ready for the next activity.

Make a donation.  Although volunteers generally provide food for each meal, critical non food soup kitchen expenses, including supplies, maintenance, laundry and insurance are covered by donations to the Soup Kitchen Fund.  We encourage you to designate donations to the Fund to honor or remember someone.  The Soup Kitchen also welcomes a limited number of in-kind donations due to storage constraints.  Please contact Jessie Macdonald or Nancy Bashook if you would like to make an in-kind donation.

 Be a host. Monitor the building and grounds at least once a month on a Wednesday evening as part of the host/security committee.

To volunteer or find out more, call the soup kitchen hotline at (847) 869-4230 ext. 333 or email the soup kitchen steering committee at soupkitchen@bethemet.org.