We have an opportunity to work with a new InterFaith Works shelter here in Gaithersburg, located at 20201 Watkins Mill Road, Contact Lottena Wolters, 301- 515-8244.

Watkins Mill Transitional Shelter is a group home for up to 8 formerly homeless women who live with mental illness. It is located about 5 minutes from the synagogue. The staff and residents of the shelter are looking for caring and compassionate people who are willing to bring in the food, and cook and serve dinner (for 10 including staff). They have a four burner stove, two ovens and two refrigerators in a decent sized kitchen. They also have pots and pans, and dishes & flatware. If you needed something special, you might want to check with them to see if they have it available. They would like to have dinner served around 6:30PM. They request that foods prepared not be too spicy, have no pork, and include vegetables.

I have had requests from people who want to cook, instead of just donating food and for people who want to do something of this kind as a family. This will allow for both. Since there is a smaller number of individuals to prepare dinner for, this can easily be done by one or two people/families.

I have set up a calendar for people to sign up. You will find it at http://www.my.calendars.net/shelter_signup. I have put sample data in the blocks for Sundays, however the shelter is open to folks bringing food any day of the week. So feel free to sign up whenever you would like. However, please sign up by Sunday for the week of the following Sunday. For example, deadline for the week beginning Sunday, March 15, would be Sunday March 8. (This is because they will be planning and buying food for any days we do not sign up for.) When you sign up please put in your name, phone number in case we need to contact you, and the main dish you will be bringing – just we don’t all end up bringing the same thing.

In order to use the calendar to sign up you can click on the number in the day you want to sign up, or you can click on the Add Events: Daily on the left hand side of the screen. If for some reason, you cannot get the calendar to work, contact me (billye.roberts@gmail.com) and I will be happy to input the information for you. If you need to cancel a meal, please contact Lottena or me (571-276-8142) as soon as you are aware.

If you would be interested in participating in this, but do not necessarily want to cook, Wendy Schneider-Levinson would like to get some folks together to make and freeze some casseroles. This would make for a very quick and easy meal: heat the casserole, make some vegetables and/or a salad, add dessert, drinks and you’re done. Please contact Wendy (wendysl@mindspring.com) if you would be interested in helping Wendy cook or in using this option for a shelter dinner.

• kitchen chairs
• cutting board
• toiletries
• bedding
• linens
• shower curtains
• bath mats
• door mats (outside and in)



• volunteers who speak Spanish to translate documents for the residents
• volunteers with strong backs to move various items in the shelter

Community service hours available.

Please contact Lottena to volunteer or to verify wish list.