Founded by Detroit Chesed Project in 2014, Tomchei Shabbos (“Supporters of Shabbat”) is a program in which anonymously provide essential Shabbat food to needy Jewish families in our community.
The process is conducted with the utmost discretion, care and privacy. Potential recipients are referred to our program by their local rabbi who informs the Tomchei Shabbos coordinator of their need and family size. The coordinator is the only one who knows the name of this recipient. The recipient is then identified with an anonymous letter and size of family. The meals are prepared by a local community caterer and are delivered to the Tomchei Shabbos coordinator’s home on Friday where it will either be picked up or discreetly delivered to the recipient’s home.
Each Tomchei Shabbos meal consists of a minimum of fish, chicken soup, two side dishes, chicken, and two types of salad. The meals have generous portions so leftovers can be used for additional meals.
The current cost per meal is $10 and we serve a fluctuating amount of meals per week. We currently delivery an average of 90 meals every Shabbos.