US Chesed, the United Synagogue’s welfare and volunteering department, reached its £500,000 fundraising target with an hour to spare this week.
In addition to providing essential weekly food parcels to 170 Jewish families struggling to make ends meet, US Chesed runs a yearly Pesach support scheme for more than 800 families and a stationery bank to ensure every child, regardless of financial circumstances can start the academic year with the tools they need to succeed.
They also coordinate hospital chaplaincy for the entire Jewish community with chaplains in all London NHS hospitals and coordinate prison chaplaincy offering support to Jewish prisoners in 120 prisons across England and Wales.
US Chesed’s work also includes running a refugee drop-in centre in Kingston and Surbiton United Synagogue to support Ukrainian refugees and an asylum seeker drop-in at Hendon United Synagogue providing supermarket vouchers, toiletries, pastoral care and legal advice for vetted individuals who have fled violence around the world.
United Synagogue member Deanne Gold said: “During the isolation of Covid, when my mother was unable to shop or prepare meals safely, US Chesed volunteers delivered food which brought not just meals, but comfort and connection during an incredibly difficult time. More recently, when my mother-in-law’s Motor Neurone Disease progressed to the point where she could no longer shop or cook for herself, US Chesed stepped in again.”
She added: “Their incredible support was reliable, compassionate and dignified, and became a lifeline for our family during one of our most challenging chapters.”
Sharon Daniels, head of Chesed at the United Synagogue, said: “We are so grateful to everyone who contributed to our appeal, the generous donors who have matched each donation to make the money go even further, and the Chesed Champions who helped to raise this money. It costs £500,000 to run the life-changing work of US Chesed each year, and we are so pleased that this target was reached, enabling us to continue supporting the families and individuals we help.”
Donations to the campaign are still possible and can be made here
