Chazaq And Chickens For Shabbos Team Up For Extraordinary Chesed In Queens

This past week, over 215 local rebbeim and teacher, along with over 45 widows, benefited from a special new chesed. Robby Neuman, founder of Chickens for Shabbos, saw a need in our community and partnered with Chazaq to fill this need. Special thanks to Congregation Ner Mordechai in Kew Gardens for their hosting these events.

Robby stated, “The rebbeim and teachers in our local yeshivot are our frontline essential workers. Without them, no one is religious and where would we be? We owe them for all that they bestow on our children. They are the ones perpetuating our mesorah and we want to say thank you and to ameliorate the financial stress on their families. At the same time, there are almanot (widows) who need to know that the community is here for them and that someone cares.

Baruch Hashem, the organization Avigdor’s Helping Hand, which we wrote about in this paper many times, offers tremendous help for families who lost a father or mother. They were instrumental in reaching out to the almanot.

This week was the fourth clothing and household giveaway and the first time almanot were included. Olam Chesed, a special organization that provides for families in need, provided the goods so that there were a lot of choices of clothing and household items. Goods included the following: clothing (for men, women, and children), diapers, baby wipes, shoes, makeup, mirrors, memory foam slippers, weighted blankets, fleece blankets, and various household necessities.

Robby Neuman imparted, “We have an obligation to all those teachers and Rabbis for the spiritual advancement of the children in Queens.” So far, more than 400 rebbeim and teachers were helped with these clothing and household items giveaways, and this means thousands of children were helped if you factor in the children from each of these families. “When you make another Jew happier, it’s olam habba in olam ha’zeh.” He added, “Hashem’s gift to all of us is today. And the blessing of today is to take away the pain of a Jew.”

Below are comments from some of the recipients about the distribution.

“This was such an amazing initiative. I always think about my students. Now, I could shop for my own family.”

“What a tremendous mitzvah helping the community!”

“The distribution was so helpful and helped me with a lot of things I needed.”

“The distribution has helped our household by giving out much needed items that because of COVID are hard to get.”

Robby Neuman stated that “The educators of our children are our heroes. They are the frontline. Without them we are lost.”

Chazaq and Chickens for Shabbos are asking the community members of Queens to help perpetuate this worthy tzedakah. You’ll get the zechut to partner with Chazaq and Chickens for Shabbos.

Robby Neuman pleaded, “Help us to give Hashem a better, kinder world.” He noted how, whatever we do, Hashem pays us back measure for measure. You can donate at ChickensforShabbos.com or GiveChazaq.org.

What a zechut it would be for all of us if you would help us in this endeavor by donating to Chickens for Shabbos.com, which will now be in loving memory of Rabbi Fabian Schonfeld zt”l who was the founding partner of Chickens for Shabbos, the charity that operates with zero overhead.

 By Susie Garber