Community Thanksgiving Dinner program honored

County Legislator Erika Pierce, second from left, and board Chairman Vedat Gashi, right, with honorees from the Community Thanksgiving Dinner Program hosted by Temple Shaaray Tefila in Bedford Corners. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

The Westchester County Board of Legislators celebrated Jewish American Heritage Month on May 19 with a ceremony honoring two organizations: the Community Thanksgiving Dinner Program hosted by Temple Shaaray Tefila in Bedford Corners, an interfaith volunteer effort which has fed thousands for more than 20 years, and Community Security Service, a White Plains-based national nonprofit empowering volunteers to protect Jewish institutions and gatherings from security threats.

“Every year, for over 20 years, this program has brought the community together to provide free Thanksgiving meals to those who might otherwise go without,” Pierce, whose district includes Bedford, Lewisboro, Mount Kisco and Pound Ridge, said of the Community Thanksgiving Dinner program. “A typical year involves 1,000 volunteers pitching in through countless ways — from shopping to cooking to serving — resulting in meals for 4,000 people in Westchester, Putnam and the Bronx.” The community effort, she noted, includes the contributions of volunteers from many area temples and other local organizations and churches.

“I can think of no other local effort which better illustrates ‘tikkun olam,’ a core concept in Judaism, which signifies the collective effort to heal the world through acts that include loving kindness,” Pierce added. “It is my extreme honor to recognize this program, and the compassion it helps to generate, as part of our Jewish Heritage Celebration.”