Participants and partners in the 2nd Annual Tikkun Tidewater: BBYO Tidewater, Simon Family JCC, Jewish Family Service of Tidewater, Community Relations Council, Virginia Beach Police Department, and Goodwill.
The Tidewater community showed its commitment to the Jewish practice of tikkun olam—repairing the world—at the 2nd Annual Tikkun Tidewater Community Recycling Day.
Held on April 14 in the parking lot of the Simon Family Jewish Community Center at the Sandler Family Campus, the annual event recycles items that may be difficult or dangerous to dispose of, including computers, printers, cameras, phones, and outdated or unwanted medicine.
There was no reason to schlep the recyclables stuff in and out of the car; dozens of volunteers unloaded it in this organized, unique, drive-thru event.
Tikkun Tidewater was organized by the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Community Relations Council and Young Adult Division, Jewish Family Service of Tidewater, Tidewater Jewish Foundation, Congregation Beth El Mitzvah Corps, and BBYO—in a project of J-SERVE.
Community partners included Goodwill International and the Virginia Beach Police Department, which oversaw the collection and proper disposal of computer equipment and medication, respectively.
In addition to recycling, Tikkun Tidewater also collected a variety of usable items such as professional clothing, shoes and purses for women returning to work, distributed through Dress for Success, and prescription eyeglasses for JFS.
2nd Annual Tikkun Tidewater’s tally:
• More than 70 volunteers participated
• 158 cars were unloaded
• 8,054 pounds of computers and peripherals were collected by Goodwill
• 76 pounds of pharmaceuticals were collected by the VBPD
• 72 pairs of eyeglasses
• Four times as many donations for Dress for Success than last year
• 1 hearing aid.
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article and photos by Laine Mednick Rutherford