Category: Texas

MedStar Paramedics Thanked with Dinner for Service During North Texas Winter Storm

3/4/2021

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram covered our donation of meals – together with members of our Fort Worth Isadore Garsek Lodge – to paramedics and EMTs in Fort Worth, thanking them for their service during the Texas winter storm.

Read in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Paramedics and EMTs with MedStar in Fort Worth got a special dinner Wednesday from Jewish service organization B’nai B’rith, the group’s way of showing their thanks.

“They worked through this pandemic and most recently through the winter storms and we wanted to show our thanks for that,” said Dan Sturman, vice president of the local B’nai B’rith chapter.

MedStar is the fourth group of frontline workers to receive this thanks since last year. Before COVID-19 found its way to Texas, B’nai B’rith served food to the firefighters at Fire Station 26 on Hulen Street and to the police at south division. Since COVID hit, the group delivered food to COVID ICU nurses and, now, MedStar.

This time, the service group brought meals for 70 paramedics, EMTs, dispatchers and other MedStar employees. Each meal came in a bag with a Jason’s Deli box lunch and a frozen chicken dinner, homemade with fried chicken, mashed potatoes and asparagus., for later.

Paramedic George Webster said the recognition was special to him because a lot of times it seems that MedStar’s work goes unnoticed.

“Of course we don’t do this for recognition, but it is nice to see and to know that our work makes a difference,” Webster said.

Alex Nason, president of the local B’nai B’rith chapter, said he got the idea to bring food to MedStar when they responded to a call from his house.

Nason’s wife, Sophia Nason, was feeling unwell but didn’t want to go to the hospital. When Alex Nason called MedStar, they came and sat with Sophia Nason, monitoring her condition, until she was feeling better.

But Nason said they deserved the recognition for all the work they’ve done in the past year, and that’s one of the things his organization exists for.

“We are a bunch of people who want to make a difference in the community,” Nason said. “Sometimes that’s in the Jewish community and sometimes that’s just in the community as a whole.”

The event was also attended by Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes and City Councilmember Brian Byrd.

B’nai B’rith local president Alex Nason hands out meal packs to paramedics and EMTs with MedStar in Fort Worth. Photo Credit: James Hartley

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Who is Donating to Texas Storm Relief Efforts?

2/22/2021

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NBC-Dallas/Fort Worth (KXAS-TV) highlighted our relief efforts in Texas as part of its roundup of organizations helping those impacted by the Texas winter storm, Who is Donating to Texas Storm Relief Efforts?

Read More from NBC-DFW

Many companies and groups across the nation are rushing to provide aid to Texans after last week's winter storm left millions without power, food, water and access to other resources.

The range of establishments providing donation efforts is large, and the list of helping hands continues to grow.

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) took to Twitter last week and, through Sunday, had raised more than $5 million for relief in Texas. The money raised is going to 12 organizations including the Food Bank of West Central Texas, Central Texas Food Bank, Southeast Texas Food Bank, Feeding Texas, The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center, South Texas Food Bank, Corazon Ministries, Houston Food Bank, Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley, ECHO (Ending Community Homelessness Coalition), North Texas Food Bank, and Family Eldercare.

Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks donate $1.25 million to the Mayor's Disaster Relief Fund and other sources, such as the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Our Calling, Austin Street Shelter, the Stewpot, the Family Place, Genesis Women’s Shelter, the Wilkinson Center, Housing Crisis Center, Voice of Hope, and 14 YMCA locations. Players such as Dwight Powell, Luka Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Maxi Kleber, etc., owner Mark Cuban, and CEO Cynt Marshall all chipped in to provide for the city. Committee members and The Dallas Foundation have begun discussions for distributing the money to help as many residents in need as possible, city officials said.

Tyson Foods
One million meals, bottled water, and other supplies will be donated by Tyson foods for its' employees and other Texans impacted by the recent storm. The 10 Texas cities receiving the donation are Amarillo, Carthage, Center, Dallas, Haltom City, Houston, North Richland Hills, Seguin, Sherman, and Vernon. The food company said it will contact local authorities to coordinate distribution details.

Chobani
Chobani donated $100,000 to Operation Homefront to support Texan military families impacted by the dangerously cold weather last week. The funds come from Chobani's Hero Batch greek yogurt and are given to the national nonprofit's Critical Financial Assistance program. The program provides assistance with home repair, food insecurity, rent and mortgage payments, auto repairs, and other critical family needs. The company has also opted to give 100,000 cups of greek yogurt to Tarrant Area Food Bank, after delivering water to Fort Worth residents over the weekend.

CarParts.com
CarParts.com is donating 1% of revenue generated through their website from Monday, Feb. 22, through the end of February, having already advanced $100k for immediate relief to Texans in need.

Lowe's
With the help of Lowe's volunteers, the home repair store is giving away 500 buckets stuffed with flashlights, trash bags, DampRid moisture absorber and other items at two stores in DFW (while supplies last), one in Arlington and one in Dallas. The buckets can be picked up at the Lowe's along Arbrook Boulevard, facing Interstate 20, in South Arlington and at the store on 8520 S. Hampton Road in Dallas beginning Monday morning. In addition, the home repair store will offer repair tips for repairing burst pipes, gutters, and damaged lawns and can make recommendations for professional help in removing wet carpet and drywall, tarping and replacing damaged roofs, and replacing water heaters and HVAC systems.

Inspected.com
The city of Garland is partnering with Inspected.com, a company that offers remote virtual inspections with city officials via their phones, to pair residents with a professional who can walk them through repairs. "For some homeowners in Texas it's a leaky valve or their pipes have burst from the cold weather," Founder of Inspected.com Anthony Perera said. "Through Inspected.com, they are given access to stay in their homes and fix it themselves with the knowledge of professionals talking to them through the app via video." In addition, Garland residents will be able to video chat with city officials for any home concerns they may have.

Coca-Cola
The Coca-Cola Company donated 100 pallets of bottled water to the city of Waco -- that was enough water to fill six tractor-trailers.

B'nai B'rith
B'nai B'rith will be accepting donations from the public and will match up to $10,000 from their Disaster and Emergency Relief Fund to help Texans attempting to recover after the weather. The company will assess the needs of different communities in the state and will work with partners to provide solutions. Donors can give through the B'nai B'rith website or by calling 800-573-9057.

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Nason leads B’nai B’rith COVID-19 relief kit effort

1/1/2021

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The Texas Jewish Post covered our donation of COVID-19 relief kits to local organizations in the Texarkoma Region of the United States.

Read in the Texas Jewish Post

A donation of COVID-19 relief kits will help local organizations combat coronavirus. Alex Nason, B’nai B’rith community coordinator and president of B’nai B’rith in the Texarkoma Region, presented local organizations with COVID-19 relief kits provided by B’nai B’rith International.

Jewish Family Services of Tarrant County, the Tarrant County Molly and Max Barnett B’nai B’rith Apartments, and Strengthening After-School Programs through Advocacy, Resources and Collaboration (SPARC) received kits containing a cloth face mask and travel-sized hand sanitizer, both imprinted with the B’nai B’rith logo.

These kits, made possible by B’nai B’rith International, will help ensure that recipients stay safe during the pandemic.

Jewish Family Services of Tarrant County, a program that provides transportation for seniors to bring them together for activities and meals, received 25 kits. Hedy Collins, senior program director, accepted the kits from Nason.

The Tarrant County Molly and Max Barnett B’nai B’rith Apartments house 95 low-income seniors. Each resident received a COVID kit, accepted on behalf of the residents by Board President Dan Sturman and Property Manager Tiffany Bell.

SPARC provides after-school programming and training to serve all Fort Worth schools. Tobi Jackson, executive director of SPARC and first vice president of the Fort Worth Independent School District board of trustees, accepted the kits.

“Seeing the appreciation from the kit recipients who are familiar with B’nai B’rith International was very nice,” Nason said. “And hearing how surprised and appreciative people were who didn’t know about B’nai B’rith International and its disaster relief doings was priceless. It made me very proud to be a part of B’nai B’rith.”

These donations are some of many made as part of B’nai B’rith’s project to provide 3,000 COVID-19 relief kits to communities around the United States. B’nai B’rith community coordinators around the country are donating kits on behalf of B’nai B’rith to local agencies dedicated to serving their community.

“Every community in America is facing the challenge of responding to the needs of vulnerable populations. We want to be part of the solution and help make sure everyone stays safe,” said Rebecca Saltzman, senior vice president and chair of the B’nai B’rith Disaster and Emergency Relief Committee.

As the U.S. experiences a high level of transmission of the virus, this project will help people follow the CDC recommendation for the “consistent and correct” use of face masks, as well as guidance to use hand sanitizer when soap and water are not readily available.  Since it began in March 2020, the B’nai B’rith COVID-19 relief campaign has supported projects around the world to help keep people safe and alleviate the effects of the pandemic.

The B’nai B’rith Disaster and Emergency Relief Fund has responded to man-made and natural disasters around the world since 1865.

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B'nai B'rith Disaster Relief Fund Opened For Victims Of Texas Floods

5/29/2015

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Responding to this week's heavy flooding in central Texas that killed at least 19 and caused millions of dollars in damage, B'nai B'rith International opened it's Flood, Tornado and Hurricane Disaster Relief Fund to assist the victims and rebuild.

News of the announcement was covered by JNS.org and the Baltimore Jewish Times. Read highlights from the news coverage, below:

Baltimore Jewish Times:

Franco said the Jewish communities in the Meyerland, Bellaire, and Willow Meadows neighborhoods were some of the hardest hit due to their proximity to the Brays Bayou.

She added that they are working to locate apartments that are willing to house displaced residents on a temporary basis.

[...]

Rhonda Love, vice president of programming at B’nai B’rith International, said on Wednesday the organization opened its disaster relief funding page at donatenow.networkforgood.org/bbi-disaster-relief.

She said it was too early to tell how much money had been raised.

Love added that two B’nai B’rith leaders from the Houston area were in the process of making connections for aid.

“Right now there’s that on the ground response for cleanup,” she said.

Donate Today

JNS.org:

Jewish organizations are raising disaster-relief funds following the devastating flooding in Texas earlier this week, during which Houston’s Jewish community sat at the center of the damage experienced by that city.

Countless Jewish homes and multiple synagogues were among the structures damaged following rain that exceeded 11 inches in some areas from May 25-26.

[...]

B’nai B’rith International opened its Flood, Tornado and Hurricane Disaster Relief Fund—hosted here—following the Houston flood.

“Whether it’s on the other side of the planet or in our own backyard, we’re both quick to respond and always eyeing how to help the long-term recovery effort,” Daniel S. Mariaschin, executive vice president of B’nai B’rith, said in a statement. “It’s no different with the flooding in Texas. I’m eager to learn from agencies on the ground and from our local members on how we can be involved in assisting these people.”

Press Release

Baltimore Jewish Times

JWeekly

JNS.org

San Diego Jewish World

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