'Nourishment for Body and Soul'
Kosher Meals on Wheels Brings Volunteers,
Pros Together in Program to Aid Homebound
Cook Eva Bartos, left, of the Federation Apartments
staff supervises the nrenaration of Meals on Wheels din-
ners to be delivered. Starting the assembly procedure
are NCJW volunteers Mrs. Louis Rosenzweig, foreground,
and Mrs. Avery W. Gordon.
Detroit Service Group Pioneers,
Campaign Chairmen, Award
Winners Feted on Stag Day
Volunteers from NCJW try to stay and make their
"customers" comfortable. Mrs. Albert Wagenheim, left,
and Mrs. Arnold Faudman are with Mr. and Mrs. Max
Boodin.
By CHARLOTTE DUBIN ably Baltimore. There; the started to arrive. Each pair day obligation to Meals on
She called them her three original Council project was —driver and visitor— took Wheels. Another volunteered
Little Red Riding Hoods— emulated in eight other kitch- two of the thermal contain- to come back and address
the three young women who ens throughout the city. Only ers, one packed with hot High Holy Day cards for a
had come to her door with a the NCJW project is kosher, food and the other with cold. woman who is unable to use
Some of the meals were pre- her hands to write.
basket of food. And she however.)
When
Mrs.
Shevin's
job
pared
especially for diabetics.
Another benefit of the pro-
thanked them, not just for
the two meals they had was done, and the Detroit By 11:30 most visitors gram is that 33 aged, home-
brought for the day, but for Section agreed to take on would arrive at their first bound men and women are
being checked out each day.
the fev;r moments of friend- the pilot program for three stop.
One of the drivers, retiree Their visitors are told to look
years, Sonia Macey and Dor-
ship they shared with her.
Tall, erect, articulate, she othy Kaufman took over as Alex Gordon, looks upon his for signs of illness, for food
job as the high point of his not eaten, for medicine not
little resembles the other 32 co-chairmen.
day.
taken. Thus, volunteers are
Screening
of
the
"custom-
participants in the seven-
His route takes him down- supposed to report back to
is
done
by
Hillary
Git-
week-old Meals on Wheels ers"
program, sponsored by the stein, a staff worker with the town, where he visits a worn- the chairman, and the chair-
National Council of Jewish Jewish Family and Chlidren's an living in housing for the man to the agency case work-
Women and Jewish Family Service. Referrals come from elderly and a middle-aged er, should anything be amiss.
JFCS caseworkers, the Sinai man with cerebral palsy, liv-
An important part of the
and Children's Service.
This was a woman accus- Hospital outpatient depart- ing alone in an apartment. program is the followup by
tomed to work, to people, to ment, Jewish Home for Aged, Others on the route live in Mrs. Gitstein, who initially
travel, to self-sufficiency. Ill- Federation Apartments—and Blackstone Manor.
trains the volunteers and peri-
from potential recipients who
Volunteers are told to try odically checks on the clients.
ness had ended all that.
But for her, like the 32 heard of the program by to make their customers corn- Where necessary, she makes
others, the "Red Riding word of mouth or read of it fortable, s e t t i n g up the recommendations to the agen-
Hoods" are bringing new in the newspaper. meals, chatting with them for cy, sometimes for homemak-
nourishment—for both body At least one recipient had a few minutes. Gordon not- er assistance or for addition-
and soul. been released from a nursing iced one man liked cigars, so al visits by volunteers, either
There were three other home on condition that she he made a point of bringing in person or by phone. Al-
with him next time. But though it wasn't the original
stops on Route 4: two ailing qualify for Meals on some
elderly women livin g Wheels. The organizers hope the visit has its beneficial intention, Mrs. Gitstein al-
in apartments and a single that others like her will be effects on Gordon as well: ready is devoting more than
man, a diabetic, living alone enabled to live in their own "It makes me feel so good half of her staff time to
in a little house—all in North- homes, with some additional to see how happy they are Meals on Wheels. She also
sits on a JFCS-NCJW steer-
west Detroit. servicing provided through to see me," he said.
JFCS.
Another visitor fulfilled a ing committee that seeks to
Other routes — five alto-
Although financial need is promise to one elderly worn- iron out mutual problems.
gether — took drivers and
There are others cooperat-
visitors to clients in Oak not a precondition to receiv- an: She brought a Jewish
ing with NCJW. An advisory
Park, Blackstone Manor, ing Meals on Wheels, in most National Fund box.
Since the program has be- committee of agency profes-
cases it is working out that
downtown Detroit.
way. The average age of the gun there have been few, if sionals examines different
The volunteers bring a hot
meal—on this day it was clients is 70-75, and the vast any, dropouts among the vol- facts of the program. Sinai
a n majority are on Social Secur- unteers, said Mrs. Macey. Hospital provided the cycle
oven-baked chicken bean
soup, peas, rice and apple ity. Because they cannot get But she's already looking meal planning. The Jewish
sauce—and a cold meal—this to a store to shop, and many ahead to winter and hopes Vocational Service was re-
time tuna salad, cranberry cannot cook for themselves, other drivers, men in partic- sponsible for hiring two paid
drivers. Federation Apart-
two meals they receive ular, will volunteer.
juice, chocolate pudding, the
ments provides the kitchen
It's
a
dedicated
team.
One
milk and bread. The food is each day are a virtual life-
young woman hired a baby facilities.
kosher, prepared daily by line.
It is the kind of coopera-
The program hinges, of sitter for her preschooler so
the cook at Federation Apart-
course, on the volunteers, the she could meet her Wednes- tion between voluntary or-
ments.
ganization and professional
Those who can pay the cost women and men who devote 1 ,
agency that is not all that
of the meals do so; but the several hours per week to
common. But it appears to be
sliding scale allows for those packing and delivering the
a relationship based on recog-
m
who can afford only a small meals.
There are some 80 of
nition of a serious need.
them, from young matrons
portion of the weekly fee.
On the face of it, the idea to retirees, who put in vary-
As originally envisioned by
NCJW, there would be 25
is a simple one: to prepare ing amounts of time,
On one recent Wednesday
recipients of kosher meals;
and deliver upwards of 50
within a few weeks, the num-
meals (one hot and one cold) morning, soon after cook Eva
each day, Monday through Bartos had finished her prep-
ber had grown to saturation
point: 33. There is already a
Friday, to 25-30 persons who arations, five women — two
are homebound because of day c h a i r m c n and three
waiting list of close to 30.
workers—gathered in the tiny
illness or age or both.
At a time when food costs
But there is nothing sim- Federation Apartments kitch-
have sent all budgets reeling,
ple about this program, for en to pack. Each hot meal
NCJW, too, has had to revise
which planning began almost was placed in special reheat-
its original estimate. Mrs.
two years ago, under the able aluminum foil pans. The
Shevin was adamant that the
leadership of former NCJW workers all but fell over each
program be kosher, even if
Detroit S e c t i on President other in the small space but
Mr. and Mrs. Max Boodin recipients were not keeping
Helen Shevin. with some zeal and good hu-
welcome
the volunteers kosher before. "If you're go-
(Although it is a first for mor they assembled the
bringing
their
two meals for ing to serve Jewish people,
Detroit, Meals on Wheels has packages by 10:45, when the
the
day.
At
the
door is Mrs. you serve kosher food," she
succeeded in other cities, not- drivers and volunteer visitors
Arnold Faudman. Mrs. Al- said.
It was Pstimatpd that the
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS bert Wagenheim isn't shown_
56—Friday, Sept. 14, 1973
Allied Jewish Campaign leaders, winners of awards
for activities in the 1973 fund-raising efforts and former
Detroit Service Group president were honored at the
annual DSG stag day, Sept. 5 at Tam O'Shanter Country
Club.
In the upper phot are shown former DSG presidents,
from left, Paul Broder, George D. Keil, Gus D. Newman --
and Max M. Shaye.
In photo, second from top, Mandell L. Berman, right,
president of the Jewish Welfare Federation, expresses
the community's congratulations to the 1973 Allied Jewish
Campaign chairmen, Paul Randleman, left, and SamueI
Frankel.
Frankel and Handleman presented the highest cam-
paign award to the top divisions in this year's drive, the
loving cup, replicas of which were presented to the divi-
sion heads.
Shown presenting and receiving the loving cup are,
from left: Frankel, Real Estate and Building Trades Divi-
sion Chairman Graham Orley, Mercantile Division Chair-
man Norman Wachler, DSG President Lewis S. Grossman,
who presided, and Handleman.
The bottom photo shows recipients of additional
awards for their campaign efforts. From left, Metropolitan
Division Chairman John Nemon, Professional Division
Chairman Jack A. Robinson, Junior Division Chairman
Robert M. Rubin, Real Estate and Building Trades Chair-
man Graham A. Orley, Sol Kurtzman representing
/-
Division Chairman Nathan Fink, Industrial and
motive Division Chairman Joseph H. Pearlman, Ser es-
Arts and Crafts Division Chairman Sherwood Colburn and
Mercantile Division Chairman Norman Wachler. The
presentations were made by Grossman, shown in the rear.
program would cost the De-
troit Section up to $20,000 a
year, based on a figure of 25
meals daily, five days a
week, plus costs of packag-
ing and drivers. The women
hope that additional funds
will come from communal or
organizational sources so that
more elderly homebound can
be serviced. But facilities,
too, would have to be ex-
panded.
If anything convinced Mrs.
the vast project the NCJW
had undertaken, it was the
route she accompanied down-
town. "On my first trip, I
got so depressed. On my sec-
ond trip, I came home float-
ing."
Mrs. Gitstein, too, is en-
thusiastic. S h e recount'
what one recipient, the re-
tired professional woman
told her: "It's not just the
food, it's having someone
ring your doorbell every
Shevin of the rightnpsa of day_"