Programs
Six standing channels, plus whatever the year hands us. Wherever possible we pay the vendor, the landlord or the school directly rather than handing over cash.
Weekly grocery cards and Erev Shabbos deliveries for households that have run short. Families set the delivery window and the drop point themselves; many prefer a card they can use at their regular grocery so nothing about the arrangement is visible to anyone else.
When a family is facing a marshal's notice or a landlord who will not wait another month, we pay the arrears directly to the management company and get written confirmation the case is withdrawn. Where the underlying problem is ongoing rather than a one-month gap, we help the family get connected to longer-term assistance instead of covering the same bill twice.
Bridge payments made directly to yeshivos and Bais Yaakovs so that no child is sent home, held out of a trip, or kept from a report card over a balance their parents cannot close this month. Arrangements are made with the school office, not announced in a classroom.
The seasonal fund. In the weeks before Pesach and again before Tishrei we distribute for matzah, meat, wine, and clothing for children. This is the single heaviest distribution of the year and the one most dependent on donations arriving early — a Pesach gift that comes in during Nissan is worth far less than the same gift in Adar.
Deductibles, prescriptions not covered by a plan, car service to treatment, and support for families spending weeks at a hospital instead of at work. We coordinate with the existing bikur cholim organizations rather than duplicating them.
Help with a chasuna, a bar mitzvah, or a bris for families who would otherwise make the smallest possible simcha or skip it entirely. Paid to the hall, the caterer or the gown shop, on the family's terms.
A dedicated portion of what we raise goes to Kupat Rabbi Yehuda bar Illue for needy families in Tzfat. Donors who want their gift to go there in full can give directly at rebbeyehuda.com.
There is no application form and no committee to appear before. Call 845-274-9900 and describe the situation. Requests are confidential, and a rav or principal can call on a family's behalf.