Tikkun Olam Campaign

Supporting our local community through advocacy and service

Every year from Purim to Passover, NVHC Change (the Social Action Committee) holds the Tikkun Olam Campaign to raise funds for the organizations we support and for our social action activities. But you can donate all year long!

Our country suffers from inequality. COVID-19 has amplified its effects, disproportionately afflicting those who have less with illness, unemployment, and hunger We who have more can help through NVHC’s annual Tikkun Olam (Repair the World) campaign—our only fundraiser of the year for social action. This campaign allows us both to help those in need and to demonstrate NVHC’s commitment to the well-being of our local community.

Help NVHC Help Our Local Community

Contributions to the Tikkun Olam campaign go to outside organizations. These organizations, both interfaith and Jewish, assist those in need and advocate for humanitarian and Jewish causes. Contributions to the Tikkun Olam campaign also go to support our volunteer activities at NVHC, including funds for making meals for the community shelters, purchasing food for the weekend snack bags for local elementary schools, and funds for religious school tikkun olam projects,

Why Help Our Local Community through NVHC?

When we combine our resources, we make a bigger impact. Furthermore, donating through NVHC, rather than individually, makes NVHC and our Jewish community visible, allowing us to be counted among the faith organizations that care for our local community.

Why Now? What’s Meaningful about the Time between Purim and Passover?

In the Purim story, human beings perform God’s work–Esther and Mordecai stand up to tyranny and save their people. In the Passover story, God guides the Jewish people, with Moses as their leader, from slavery to freedom. These stories inspire us to support our neighbors in their struggle against the tyranny of want and to advocate for a fairer, more just, freer, and more equal society.

We invite you to join us as a volunteer for NVHC Change, as a donor, or we hope, as both. Let us celebrate Purim together, with an awareness of the needs in our community and beyond, and with commitment to tikkun olam. To quote a reading for Mi Chamocha in our siddur, “there is no way to get from here to there except by joining hands, marching together.” We hope to find you by our side.

For the past five years, NVHC members have met or exceeded the Tikkun Olam campaign’s target. Please enable us to achieve that goal again this year so that we can do our part to help repair our world.

DONATE

Our Spring 2024 Campaign kicks off at Purim and runs through Passover, but we welcome your donations all year long. Thanks to our generous community, we raise a significant amount of funds to support our Tikkun Olam work.

How your donations have made a difference:

We donate to Cornerstones (including a monetary donation and funds for shelter meals and other needs).
Cornerstones provides emergency food and shelter to local at-risk families and individuals, together with longer-term housing and other social and educational services.
We purchase food supplies to support seven local elementary schools weekend snack bags.
We are working with Helping Hungry Kids to provide weekend snack bags for students at seven local elementary schools, including Forest Edge and Clearview. Tikkun Olam funds allow us to buy food in bulk, and our students are also donating snacks and helping to pack the bags.
We pay our membership dues for the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (FACS).
FACS works to reduce environmental impacts in Fairfax County.
We pay our membership dues for Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy.
Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy advocates for racial, social, and economic justice in Virginia’s policies and practices.
We pay our Membership dues for VOICE.
VOICE (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement) identifies and advocates for issues of local concern, such as criminal justice reform and affordable housing.
We donate to JCRC, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington.
JCRC promotes social justice, combats antisemitism, and advocates for the interests of the Jewish community and of marginalized communities.
We donate to MAZON.
MAZON fights to end hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds in the United States and Israel.
We donate to HIAS.
HIAS (formerly Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) seeks to provide welcome, safety, and freedom to refugees and asylum seekers nationwide.
We co-sponsor the annual Reston Pride Day to welcome the LGBTQ community.
At Reston Pride we join with other faith institutions and local businesses in a celebration in Reston.
We co-sponsor the Fairfax County Student Peace Awards.
Fairfax County Student Peace Awards are awarded to high school students who have made a positive contribution to their school or wider community by promoting mutual understanding and respect for all people.
We fund religious school projects.
These projects have included postage and supplies for non-partisan Get Out the Vote postcards written by Kehillat Limmud students and supplies to make lunches and bedtime snack bags for Cornerstones shelter residents.
The remaining funds are reserved for new projects, including support for Afghan and Ukrainian families.
We also fund new social action committee projects. In the past year, we have used Tikkun Olam funds to support the Afghan and Ukrainian families that we are assisting with resettlement in the Northern Virginia community.

If you have an idea for a new project, let us know. If you are interested in a microgrant, you can learn more here.

FAQs about the Tikkun Olam Campaign

Why does NVHC Change (the Social Action Committee or SAC) need to reed to raise funds?

NVHC Change is dedicated to the work of Tikkun Olam, and funded solely by your contributions. This annual request is our only fundraising campaign. Thanks to your generosity in past years, we have created positive change for our neighbors. Now, with the increased needs in the Reston community, we want to do as much or more this coming year. We do ask for donations of food or other goods during the year, such as the High Holy Day food drive, or collections for the Afghan or Ukrainian refugees.

The NVHC operating budget provides no funding for NVHC Change and our projects.

About 95 percent of our funds raised each year for the general Tikkun Olam fund go to local organizations and for our work in the community (with the remaining 5 percent going to national Jewish organizations, HIAS and MAZON) and Israel.

How are Tikkun Olam funds allocated? Can the funds be used for other purposes?

The SAC allocates the funds raised each year at an open meeting in the spring. All congregants are welcome to attend this meeting and to participate in the discussion. All the funds must be used for social action purposes. No Tikkun Olam funds are used for NVHC operations nor are NVHC operating funds used to support Tikkun Olam efforts.

The NVHC Board of Trustees provides oversight by reviewing and approving our planned expenditures in advance each year. We plan to continue our ongoing efforts this year at the same levels as the previous year. We also plan to increase our support of existing projects as needed or identify additional recipients as appropriate. We also set aside a reserve each year for urgent needs in the community or to roll over into the next year.

Where does the money go?

To combat hunger in our community:

We provide cash and in-kind contributions to Cornerstones, much of it for food assistance. This year we increased the number of meals prepared for both the Embry Rucker and hypothermia shelters.
We work with Helping Hungry Kids to provide weekend snack bags for students at seven local elementary schools, including Forest Edge and Clearview. Tikkun Olam funds allow us to buy food in bulk, and our students also donate snacks and help to pack the bags. If Helping Hungry Kids does not need our entire allocation, we will donate the balance to a local pantry, such as the Cornerstones Food Pantry, South Lakes Food Pantry or Food for Neighbors.
We sponsor rice and bean meal packing events with The Outreach Program.for our Kehilat Limmud and Tamid students and adults. We donate the over 3,200 meal packets (with almost 20,000 servings) to Helping Hungry Kids.

To increase our visibility in the community and strengthen our interfaith and community relationships. We are members in local organizations and co-sponsors of local events with a social action focus:

We identify and address issues of local concern with interfaith partners and community organizations.
Through FACS, we work with over 70 places of worship to make Northern Virginia greener.
We co-sponsor the annual Reston Pride Day to welcome the LGBTQ community.
We co-sponsor the Fairfax County Student Peace Awards.

To support national and regional Jewish organizations with a social justice mission, such as HIAS, MAZON, and JCRC.

To fund social action projects at NVHC, including:

Religious school projects.
Projects and work of the SAC’s teams: Green Team, Racial Justice, Disability Justice, and Reproductive Rights.
Rebuilding Democracy Project and Great Texts curriculum development for the Jewish community/interfaith work.
Afghan Family and Ukrainian Family resettlement.
A reserve is set aside each year for urgent needs in the community or to roll over into the next year.

Will we still participate in the Food Pantry Drive during the High Holy Days and food donations for Forest Edge and the Cornerstones shelters?

Yes! The SAC only asks for funds once a year, during the Tikkun Olam Campaign between Purim and Passover. However, we will still ask congregants to donate food or other goods throughout the year for our social action projects. When additional food is needed beyond the food donations, Tikkun Olam funds are used. In past years, we also held collection drives for the Afghan and Ukrainian refugees to help furnish their homes and provide needed clothing.

Who are some of our partner organizations?

Cornerstones: Nonprofit organization that promotes self-sufficiency by providing support and advocacy for those in need of food, shelter, and other services.

FACS (Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions): Nonpartisan, nonprofit, interfaith organization (with over 70 local faith organization participants) that focuses on developing local solutions to climate and environmental issues.

Fairfax County Student Peace Awards: Nonprofit organization that provides small cash awards for high schools to recognize students who have made a positive contribution to their school or community by promoting mutual understanding and respect for all people

Food for Neighbors: Nonprofit Herndon-based organization that provides weekend food to middle school and high school families in need in Fairfax and Loudoun counties.

Helping Hungry Kids of Northern Virginia: Nonprofit organization supported by the CORE Foundation that provides weekend food bags to Reston and Herndon elementary school students.

HIAS (formerly Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society): National Jewish organization supporting refugees of all faiths in the U.S.

JCRC (Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington): Regional Jewish organization focusing on public policy concerns central to Jewish consciousness.

Jewish Partnership for Democracy (A More Perfect Union): National network of Jewish institutions that is working to ensure free, fair, safe and accessible elections.

MAZON: National Jewish advocacy organization working to end hunger among all faiths in the U.S. and Israel.

Reston Pride: An event first held in June 2018, with NVHC co-sponsoring along with others in the faith community, Cornerstones, and corporate partners.

South Lakes High School Food Pantry: Nonprofit organization providing food to families in need in the South Lakes pyramid.

VOICE (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement): Nonpartisan, nonprofit, interfaith organization working to build community relationships, identify community concerns, and work for social justice at the local and state levels.

Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy Nonpartisan, nonprofit, interfaith organizatio advocates for racial, social, and economic justice in Virginia’s policies and practices.

I want to participate in social action activities with NVHC. What can I do?

The SAC plans activities all year long. Look for announcements in the temple weekly, check our webpage, or contact the SAC chair, at: ShowClick Here to View Contact Information to join the Social Action email list or find out about activities.

About

Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation is a Reform Jewish community of passionate people who embrace innovation, engagement, and exploration. We welcome everyone, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, disability, gender, or sexual identity, whether single or in a relationship, Jewish or non-Jewish. We celebrate our diversity and are open to all who wish to join us in us in our community of Jewish spiritual, educational, and cultural life. Come join us – together we will worship, connect, learn, and build a better world.