Project Ezra Provides Meals to Neighbors in Need Again This Holiday Season
“Especially in this time when so many in our communities are facing food insecurity, it is an honor to get to support our neighbors, in hopes that these meals can help to make their holiday season a little brighter. Jewish tradition teaches that each of us has the responsibility to help make the world a kinder, more caring and just place by engaging in acts of tikkun olam (repairing the world). When we can do this by sharing meals and planting seeds of joy across Lexington and our surrounding towns, it is a reminder of how connected we all are and how our fates are all bound up in each other’s.”
Members of Temple Isaiah in Lexington and Temple Shir Tikvah in Winchester will team up again this year to prepare holiday meals and deliver them on Christmas Eve day to neighbors in need. For more than 30 years, this amazing community outreach initiative has grown to provide more than 600 turkey dinners to over 300 families and individuals in Lexington, Arlington, Bedford, Waltham, and Lowell. Last year, the effort was powered by more than 300 volunteers who cooked, baked, packaged, and delivered meals to local homes, shelters, and centers.
We asked a couple of longtime Project Ezra partners to tell us about the community members they support, and to share their experiences about how Project Ezra meals make a difference in people’s lives. Here are just a few perspectives that shine a light on the impact that these home-cooked holiday meal deliveries have been able to provide:
Jackson Hamilton, Civic Engagement Coordinator, Housing Corporation of Arlington:
“The meals that Project Ezra distributes to Arlington residents are primarily going to folks who live in affordable or public housing in town. The holiday season is a tough time financially for a lot of low- and middle-income folks. It is a time where budgets get stretched very thin, and a lot of people are forced to make the decision to buy either gifts for their children or pay for necessities like food, utilities, and rent. The Project Ezra meals give our neighbors the breathing room to afford the holidays.”
Chloe-Rose Crouch, Executive Director of Community Day Center of Waltham, says:
“We partner with Project Ezra to provide holiday meals on Christmas Eve for guests staying in our seasonal Night Program. From December through April, we provide emergency shelter and case management services for adults experiencing homelessness. Project Ezra provides meals for 20 of these guests.
The clients we support are adults experiencing homelessness, many of whom have histories of trauma, mental health challenges, and chronic health conditions. During the holiday season, challenges are intensified. Many guests are estranged from family or loved ones and face emotional isolation. Being without a support system during a season associated with togetherness and celebration can be deeply triggering and depressing. In addition to basic needs like shelter, warmth, and food, emotional support and a safe space are critical.
The holidays can be a very dark and difficult time for our guests. While we cannot speak for everyone, we know many are at a low point in their lives and feel estranged from family and loved ones. Projects like this one are invaluable because they hold space for our guests and provide support during a triggering time. Being included in a holiday celebration—even in a small way—can make a meaningful difference, reminding them that they are not forgotten and that the community cares.”
Leah Baigell has been leading the Project Ezra team at Temple Isaiah for many years. She shares, “I am so touched by the outpouring of thank you notes we receive each year from the families and individuals who receive Project Ezra meals. Our meals really do make a difference, even if it’s just letting people know that we are thinking of them on the holiday and providing a special meal.”
