A Very Merry Mitzvah

by Emma Dixon

For the families of Ava Maxwell and Marty Alpert, Christmas means three things: community, giving back, and Meals on Wheels. Both families attend the Congregation of Reform Judaism (CRJ) in Orlando, which runs a season Meals on Wheels program. Members of the congregation and other helpers step up to deliver hot meals to seniors and families in need on Christmas Day – allowing regular Meals on Wheels volunteers who observe the holiday to take the day off to celebrate with their families and friends.

Michael Rancher, CRJ’s executive director for the past 19 years, says the meal deliveries are part of the congregation’s community outreach efforts. For its Meals on Wheels program, CRJ partners with the nonprofit Seniors First, which provides a list of those who need food. The meals provide sustenance for 300 to 400 families, mostly seniors.

“It means a lot to help out on Christmas Day,” says Michael. “This is a meaningful program, and our volunteers have done this for years. It’s a mitzvah on Christmas!”

Paying it Forward

The program is funded by CRJ and Jeff Yarmuth, owner of Toasted restaurant, who donates the food that is prepped, cooked, packaged, and delivered by the volunteers.

Marty Alpert, his wife Lois, and their daughter Lindsay enjoy volunteering as a family.

“We’re so fortunate to have food on our own tables,” says Marty, a retired dentist who lives in the Lake Mary area. “My old coach at Ohio State always told us to pay it forward, so that’s what we’re doing.”

Like the Alperts, the Maxwell family also rolls up their sleeves to help with the Meals on Wheels program. Ava Maxwell helps organize volunteers, which include her husband Michael, their children and their spouses, their in-laws, and their grandson.

The food (turkey, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, bread and butter, and a dessert) arrives on Christmas Eve, when it is prepped and cooked by about 25 volunteers. On Christmas Day, heating and packaging the food starts early, with the ovens turned on around 5:00 a.m.

Lifting spirits with food and smiles

“Michael Rancher arrives with donuts and a smile to turn on the ovens to heat the food and greet everyone as they arrive,” says Ava, who is the manager of retail operations at the Morse Museum in Winter Park.

Once reheated, the food is then packaged into individual containers for distribution, starting around 7:15 a.m. About 15 volunteers set up a large table and each person has a job to do as the meals are assembled.

“We’re a well-oiled machine,” says Marty. “We work together so well and enjoy it so much.”

Delivery starts around 10:00 a.m., with additional volunteers lining up in their cars in the parking lot to recieve their bags of food, along with names, addresses, and directions.

For Ava, CRJ’s Meals on Wheels program is truly a highlight of the holiday season.

“This is a necessity – bringing companionship to someone who may be alone and hungry,” says Ava. “If the holiday spirit is diminished in their lives, for whatever reason, it’s so important we don’t forget to comfort those who might need it.”