Spotlight

Bill Birndorf

Higher Hopes! 8th Annual Thanksgiving Program

For the eighth year in a row, Higher Hopes! will be providing 1,000 Detroit-area families full Thanksgiving meals through its “1,000 Turkeys, 10,000 Smiles” program. The kits contain everything from the turkey to all the sides and dessert, and provide enough food to feed 12 to 16 people. Giving families the ability to celebrate the holidays with loved ones in their own home is at the core of the Higher Hopes! mission.

In addition to the Thanksgiving meal program, Higher Hopes! continues to support 1,000 families with monthly meal kits, each containing 35-45 lbs. of fresh, nutritious foods. These go to families who have children enrolled in Early Head Start Child Care Programs. The kits contain proteins such as chicken, pork or beef, fresh, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables, grains like pasta and cereal, milk, eggs, fruit juice and more.

“Higher Hopes! Heroes invest time and money to provide households with access to sufficient, nutritious food,” says Higher Hopes! founder Bill Birndorf. “This is accomplished through collaborations, efficient operations, education and innovative solutions to battle hunger in the Metro Detroit area. The faces of hunger may surprise you. Many who need assistance are middle-class families, the working poor, children and the elderly.” Higher Hopes!, a registered 501(c)(3) charity, continues to fight the battle against hunger for the community’s most vulnerable children and their families.

Corporate and individual contributions are always welcome and can be made at www.higherhopesdetroit.org or at the Facebook page at www. facebook.com/pages/HigherHopes/351220508366604.

Infrastructure Bill Provides Aid to Synagogues

The recently passed federal infrastructure bill will pour a trillion dollars into fixing and upgrading the country’s failing transportation systems.

Thanks to one part of it, the bill will also put a few million into fixing up the country’s synagogues, religious schools and nonprofits.

The Nonprofit Energy Efficiency Act will allow houses of worship and nonprofits to apply for grants to increase the energy efficiency of their buildings. A total of $50 million will be allocated to the effort, overseen by the Department of Energy, with each entity eligible for a grant of up to $200,000.

The legislation was supported by the Orthodox Union as well as a number of other religious organizations.

“We are very grateful to bipartisan leaders and the many rank and file lawmakers who worked to ensure this key provision ultimately was included in this legislative package,” Nathan Diament, the Orthodox Union’s director of public policy, said in a statement. “The creation of the Nonprofit Energy Efficiency Act will help our foundational institutions become more environmentally sound and enable them to expand their offerings through energy cost savings.” (JTA.org) The U.S. Department of Justice it has reached a settlement with the Michigan Department of Corrections last week to change the state’s policy regarding religious activities for prisoners, as well Jewish inmates’ kosher diet.

Under the agreement, Michigan corrections will no longer required a minimum of five people for religious services or activities. Also, Jewish inmates who do not eat a kosher diet all year can still qualify to receive kosher food for Passover.