Family Focus
SPONSORED BY BEST SOURCE CREDIT UNION
20 Years
Longtime Yad Ezra volunteers share tales of feeding the hungry.
Charlotte Corlin
Dorothy Last
S
even Yad Ezra volunteers with
service dating back to the first
year the doors opened 20 years
and 12 million pounds of food ago recall
their years of volunteering. They worked
at the Berkley-based kosher food pantry
through three buildings, three executive
directors and 11 presidents.
All seven were asked why they given
so much of their time, talent, energy and
focus to one charity and what have they
learned from the experience?
Charlotte Corlin of West Bloomfield
spoke about how special Yad Ezra is and
"how gratifying it is to know I'm doing my
small part to help those in need."
Seymore Eizelman of Oak Park talked
about seeing the need firsthand when
making deliveries. "The conditions that
some of the clients lived in was shock-
ing — it broke our hearts',' he said, adding
that currently he "sees people who are so
ashamed and embarrassed to come for
help. They are crying when they come
in, and then it's rewarding to watch their
smiling faces when they leave with bags of
groceries.
46
January 6 • 2011
Seymore Eizelman
Pauline Markman
Phil Dembs of West Bloomfield con-
tinues to volunteer at Yad Ezra for a very
simple reason: "I believe in what they are
doing, and I enjoy doing it."
Pauline Markman of West Bloomfield
recalled the first Passover that she and her
husband volunteered for the special dis-
tribution. She remarked that "the smiles
and hugs that my husband and I received
as we distributed the food was a joy that
I will never forget." She also talked of
how she continues to enjoy practicing her
Yiddish with some of the Russian families
who still struggle with English.
Jane Shayne of Farmington Hills began
volunteering at Yad Ezra after she retired
from teaching and was looking for "some-
thing meaningful and fulfilling." She was
able to fulfill her goal through Yad Ezra
and continues to come on Sundays when
she is in town.
Dorothy Last of Oak Park, a volunteer
who has racked up thousands of hours
working 3-4 days a week during her
20-year stint, was succinct: "It's important
to feed hungry people." She is also sad-
dened by the many new clients who were
former donors to Yad Ezra. She urged that
"we need to be thankful for what we have."
June Stillman of West Bloomfield said,
"Volunteering at Yad Ezra over the 20 years
has become more meaningful and more
rewarding ... knowing I filled an empty
plate on an empty table in the homes of so
many individuals and families."
Then come the glimpses into the world
of fear, worry, hunger and appreciation.
Corlin recalled the day she was work-
ing on client intake. She looked up into
the face of a young woman and was really
caught off-guard: It was the daughter of a
neighbor and former childhood friend of
one of her daughters. This young woman
was suffering with mental health issues
and had no one to turn to. Her parents had
died and her siblings had moved away.
Eizelman told of making a delivery to a
woman living in Ferndale with her kids.
He helped unload the groceries into an
empty cupboard. The cookies he brought
were gobbled up on the spot as the kids
sat at a table whose legs were held togeth-
er by masking tape.
Dembs spoke about joking around for
years with a client who always looks very
dapper in his hat. Phil keeps telling the cli-
ent to bring him a hat, too.
During Yad Ezra's early days, many of
the Russian clients did not speak English.
Last used to try to converse with them in
Polish. They were always surprised and
delighted to try speaking in a language
other than English.
Stillman told about a man who had
been coming to Yad Ezra for food for
his family for a few years. He suddenly
stopped coming. Then one night, he and
his wife arrived, not to get food, but to vol-
unteer. The husband was working again,
and they wanted to show their apprecia-
tion for the help they had received when
times were tough. "How amazing and
meaningful was that good deed of giving
back:' she said.
All agreed it is "shocking to see so many
families, young and old, from all walks
of life, in need of a helping hand. To be
able to lift the spirits of those in need is
a wonderful feeling. It takes so little from
one person to do so much for so many
people." II