Please donate winter coats for those in need. Coats are distributed through the Hunter Mill Supervisor’s Office all winter long.

Bring your clean, wearable coats to the CBE lobby or to the Hunter Mill District Coat Closet at the North County Government Center at 12000 Bowman Towne Drive, Reston. The Closet accepts donations and offers coats through February 24, 2010. Hours of operation are Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to noon; Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.; and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For information, call 703-478-0283.

Sukkot in April

Can you paint? Hang drywall? Hammer a nail? Sweep a floor? Each year at the end of April, hundreds of Jewish volunteers renovate the homes of low-income, disabled and/or elderly Washington area homeowners as part of Sukkot in April. 

Team Captain: We are looking for a new captain!

Watch for signups if we are able to find a captain.  And if painting, hammers, shovels and screwdrivers are not your thing, then make a contribution to the Acts of Loving Kindness Fund to help support CBE efforts.  Funds donated to Yachad are pooled from all of the participating organizations to purchase the materials for house repair at a large group discount.

Yachad, the Jewish Housing and Community Development Corporation of Greater Washington, is a local non-profit organization that mobilizes the resources of the Jewish community to renovate affordable housing and revitalize urban neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. 

Graceful Spaces is a program that works in partnership with Reston Interfaith to serve families participating in the Transitional Housing Program. Items donated through Reston Interfaith to Graceful Spaces are used to furnish homes owed by RI. Graceful Spaces provides practical household and organizational support for Reston Interfaith and enables our families to quickly settle into and enjoy their new homes. 

Key services provided by Graceful Spaces:

• Developing organizational systems for  kitchens, bathrooms, closets  laundry and financial paperwork.
• Finding furniture and other items through private donations. Refurnishing/repairing these items, as necessary.
• Decorating and arranging furniture inside the home.
• Teaching the value of living simply and helping clients de-clutter their homes.

Donating
Graceful Spaces accepts following donation items in good condition. Please call Anne Strange at 703-309-8277 or Karen Hale at 703-407-7553 to arrange a pickup from your home.

• Lamps and side tables
• Desks and desk chairs
• Bookcases
• Dining room table and chairs
• Dressers and chests of drawers
• Side chairs
• Bulletin boards
• Bedding, light weight bedspreads and blankets
• Table linens and throw pillows
• Framed art, picture frames, candleholders, vases, serving pieces
• Organizers such as caddies, baskets
• Wastebaskets and hampers, plastic or wood clothes hangers
• Coat hooks and racks
• Planters and flower pots
• Fabric, scrap lumber, misc. hardware  

Apartment Project to Aid the Reston Interfaith Transitional Housing Program

The Embry Rucker Shelter, under the auspices of Reston Interfaith, maintains and operates apartments in Reston and Herndon as transitional housing for homeless families.  The mission of the Transitional Housing Program is “to promote independence and empower homeless families by providing a variety of services, including intensive case management.”

A Fresh, New Start 

A Bat Mitzvah and her Mitzvah Project – a completed Apartment Project donation

Eligible families move into empty apartments and Reston Interfaith provides an allowance for furniture and household items.  Individuals and organizations can aid in this process by providing the new household items in this brochure, thus enabling Reston Interfaith to focus funds on providing personal and employment counseling for its clients.  

How the Project is Implemented

A personalized brochure will be created for distribution to your group, a tool it will use to organize the collection.  The participants in the group will be asked to review a list of household items and to please select the new item or items they wish to donate to the Apartment Project.  In order to avoid duplication of items, each donor will call or send an email with their selection to a “registrar”, a person designated to coordinate the collection.  The brochure will also announce when and where the items will be collected.

To Sponsor an Apartment Project
Contact:  Janet Bolton

Yom Kippur Kol Nidre Food Drive
Sunday, September 27, 2009

Here, members of CBE Youth Groups marched in the a past Mini-Walk for the Homeless in Reston to benefit Reston Interfaith and the Embry Rucker Homeless Shelter. The members of USY organized the youth participation in the walk, providing the banner and unlimited enthusiasm

Wearable/Useable Donations             

The Closet and The Bargain Loft, both in Herndon, are thrift shops help low-income people and families in Reston/Herndon.

The Closet accepts all kinds of clothing, shoes and accessories, cosmetics, kitchen items, small appliances and lamps.  It is located at 845 Station St., Herndon, VA 20170. Hours for donation drop-off are: Thursday and Saturday, 8 AM –2 PM (They are closed all of July).  Phone: 703-437-7652. More information.

The Bargain Loft accepts furniture, lamps, dishes, glassware, house wares, books, computers & electronics, collectibles and toys.  Bring your stuff on Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM – 2 PM.  They have volunteers who can pick up your large furniture, call for an appointment.  If the store gets too full they will sometimes not take furniture, toys and books, so call ahead before you bring those items.  The Bargain Loft is located at 336 Victory Drive, off Spring Street, in the same office park as Lake Anne Florist.  Phone: 703- 437-0600. More information.