Temple Beth Israel hosts pre-Passover food drive

A different sort of March Madness manifested at Temple Beth Israel on March 19 as the temple hosted dinner pickup, a food drive drop-off and a modified version of its BIW Judaica Gift Shop all in one afternoon. 

"It's a triple-header," Judy Posner said. 

Members drove through one parking lot to get dinner, through the circle drive to look at Passover items from the gift shop and another to drop off food for Second Chance Last Opportunity. The food drive is a continuation of Temple Beth Israel's months-long plan to support the Sarasota organization, which has seen a steady uptick in need in recent months. In total, donors filled the trunk and backseats of three cars. 

Though the food drive was only scheduled until 3:30, donors and volunteers continued to chat for several minutes afterwards before parting ways. Friends caught up on family visits, vaccine statuses and what they're all looking forward to post-pandemic. More and more people are getting vaccinated, but Temple Beth Israel is still closed, so the food drive is a social gathering, too. 

"Everybody's just hanging around," Carole Cohen said. "This is the one place where we see each other."