On a road trip to Chicago in 2014, a group of five friends were inspired by the infrastructure of charity and kindness they witnessed in other Jewish communities. Determined to create a similar system of services to benefit their own community, they began searching out unmet needs in Jewish Detroit. After consulting with community leaders, they founded Tomchei Shabbos to deliver prepared Shabbos meals to underprivileged families.

Soon after, disaster struck . Detroit was hit by severe flooding that damaged many homes. As the water rose, the resolve of Detroit Chesed’s founders rose as well. They worked with local organizations and donors to distribute hundreds of brand new mattresses and furniture, bringing comfort and stability to struggling families.

More and more programs followed. Wherever there was a need, Detroit Chesed stepped in, driven by a mission of kindness.

Today, Detroit Chesed has grown into a community-wide organization with a separate head for each division. Tzadok Eliyahu and Avi Rubin oversee the organization. Channie Goldstein first became a volunteer, and then joined the team in 2016 as Director of Operations. While the organization has grown by leaps and bounds, the enterprising spirit of kindness that first pushed us into action remains at the root of all we do for our community.

Now, Detroit Chesed is gearing up for the next phase of our journey—moving into a beautiful, state-of-the-art campus that will house all of our programs and operations under one roof and exponentially increase the number of individuals we can serve.