jews d in the continued from page 18 with a legion of volunteers ready to pitch in with their support. “‘Wow,’ was Ron’s reply: ‘I know Rabbi Bennett. I’ve just walked out of a meeting where I suggested that the Jewish community might be interested in helping us … and just like that, here you are. That’s what we call Divine Providence.’ “And that’s what we call beshert!” ,_X\PZP[L-HIYPJZ*SHZZPJ:[`SPUN,_JLW[PVUHS-P[ 4HKLPU5L^@VYR:PaLZ¶ 1LQD0F/HPRUH%RXWLTXH :6SK>VVK^HYKc)PYTPUNOHT c4VU¶-YP¶c:H[¶ 7HYR-9,,PU7LHIVK`:[Y\J[\YLÄYZ[OYZLU[LY[OYV\NOIHJRLU[YHUJLVMZ[VYL 69=(3,;7(92VU:6SK>VVK^HYK(]LULHY)YV^U:[ 5L^@VYR(ZWLU([SHU[H*OL]`*OHZL4+/V\Z[VU7HST+LZLY[:HU-YHUJPZJV :JV[[ZKHSL:LH[[SL=HPS*SL]LSHUK*OLZ[LY[V^U4+ ^^^UPUHTJSLTVYLJVT West Bloomfi eld Plaza near Crispelli's DESIGN YOUR OWN CANDY BUFFET! 6698 Orchard Lake Rd. W. 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Expires 5.30.18 KAREN’S DREAM “Where there’s a dream, you can make it happen,” Karen said. Through her years of practice as a social worker, ther- apist, educator and advocate on behalf of clients of all ages, Karen has devel- oped exceptional networking skills and connections throughout Metro Karen Rubenfire Detroit. As found- ing secretary on the PHC Board, she has served as an invaluable volunteer. Upon the board’s request in 2016, Karen agreed to leave her social work career to become PHC’s direc- tor of Programming and Community Outreach. According to Karen, Project Healthy Community started with a mobile food pantry held once a month in partnership with Temple Israel, Hartford Memorial Baptist Church and Gleaners. As the food started coming in, the neighborhood followed, and volunteers grew in numbers. In four and a half years, the program has tripled in size, dis- tributing more than 20,000 pounds of food to serve about 400 families. “We’re here to feed people, but our goal is also to educate them about their health and nutrition,” Melvyn said. “We feel that the educational component to the food pantry pro- gram is essential. And that’s also the reason we started the afterschool program at Schulze.” At Schulze Elementary School, Karen is a driving force and a wel- come presence among the students in the afterschool program. “We started with 12 children, and here we are now with 30 kids in our own allocated classroom in the school,” said Karen, noting that the space was recently painted and beauti- fully appointed by volunteers dur- ing JCRC/AJC’s Spring Mitzvah Day in partnership with the Michigan Muslim Community Council (MMCC). With a waiting list for the Schulze Afterschool Program, a growing community and Detroit Public Schools Community District’s (DPSCD) interest in PHC’s impact, there are plans to expand the FUN Pantry program to Pasteur, Palmer Park Academy and Durfee elemen- tary schools, as well as a Saturday enrichment program. IT TAKES A VILLAGE Karen emphasized that Project Healthy Community is about community-building and not just another charitable cause. “An important part of our mission is to improve the lives of families by pro- moting volunteerism,” she said. “Our programs represent an incredible blend of people who simply want to give back, and that’s what I find so inspiring and rewarding about everything we do. “Our volunteer opportunities are really hands-on, particularly with the mobile pantry. When I see the trucks roll in, and volunteers unloading and organizing the food, and families coming through with their smiles, saying thank you and so grateful for what you do … it doesn’t get any better than that. “This is a labor of love that started with our family and my mom was a big part of it. She was our biggest cheerleader and greatest volunteer; she loved working on Pantry Days. Diane Rubenfire was our visionary to start Project Healthy Community, and though she’s been gone four years, she continues to be our moti- vation to make it empowering. It’s with her that we carry on.” MELVYN’S DREAM Just how far can Project Healthy Community’s collaborative initia- tives go? At 78, Melvyn has yet to slow his pace as president of Project Healthy Community and readily shares his vision to open a wellness clinic. Melvyn Rubenfire “We’re in early talks right now with Life Remodeled, a non- profit investing in central Detroit in the neighborhood surrounding Central High School. Their current project is to repurpose the historic Durfee school building into a com- munity innovation center focused on business, employment, education and community. Seems like Project Health Community may be a natural fit. We shall see.” • Vivian Henoch is editor of MyJewishDetroit.org, where this story first appeared.