We want to recognize a few people who have been central to the successful running of the PADS program here at Etz Chaim. Every Sunday, we open our Social Hall to provide shelter and meals to the men, women and children of DuPage County who have found themselves without a home. I know many of you have devoted your time to PADS, and we want to thank you for your commitment to this important program.

We’d also like to acknowledge the efforts of five individuals whose contributions have been invaluable:

David Schneeweiss – who picks up food weekly from Trader Joes, delivers it to the Temple, and takes excess to the People’s Resource Center, a local food pantry.

Meryl Diamond – who keeps the pantry stocked and organized with all the staples needed to run the shelter.

Susan Brodie – who recently took over shift coordinating duties. She ensures coverage for all of our shifts with volunteers from Etz Chaim and from our church partners.

Allan Carter – who leads meal planning on Sunday nights, often starting his preparations at home before coordinating food and cooking issues here at the synagogue.

Lastly, Karen Friedman, who served as the shift coordinator with distinction for years before recently passing the baton to Susan. In addition to ensuring smooth operations every Sunday night, Karen was very active in extending PADS beyond the school year to include the summer months so that we could serve the homeless year round. In appreciation for Karen’s years of service, a set of food storage containers was donated to PADS in her honor.

Thank you David, Meryl, Susan, Allan and Karen. And thank all of you in the congregation for helping make our PADS site run smoothly and for making it a caring and welcoming place.