Our Caring Community

Welcome to Temple Rodef Shalom’s Caring Community, where compassion thrives and connections flourish. We are dedicated to fostering a supportive environment that strengthens bonds within our congregation. Join us in embracing the values of kindness, empathy, and unity as we navigate life’s journey together with warmth and understanding.


For information on these programs or initiatives, please get in touch with us using our website contact form.

Caring Community Programs

Temple Rodef Shalom is a caring community. Whether we deliver meals to a family dealing with chronic illness, call a friend to offer encouragement, or make sure an elderly friend gets to an appointment on time…we understand that we are responsible for one another.

Caring Cohorts is an initiative designed to provide peer-led support for our members who are navigating various life challenges. They bring together members who share similar experiences, creating a space to connect, share and support one another. Whether you’re caring for an aging parent, navigating chronic illness or healing from a loss, you’ll find a community of understanding peers who are walking a similar path. Please click here to read more!

Take Them a Meal : Cooking and delivering a meal: Congregants confronting health challenges or crises need healthy meals to sustain them through these difficult times. Volunteers prepare and deliver or arrange for meals to be delivered to Congregants’ homes. Volunteers receive opportunities by email through Take Them A Meal, and can sign up for specific dates and recipients. 

Mitzvah Meals: Mitzvah Meals supplements the work of our Take-Them-A-Meal program and allows us to have homemade and delicious meals available on demand for our congregants who need them. Volunteers sign up to make a preselected recipe that freezes easily. We provide the recipe and the storage containers, and you bring the filled containers back to TRS to have on hand in the freezer to distribute to fellow congregants as needed. This allows you to cook whenever you have time without having to choose a recipe and to deliver it to the Temple at your convenience.

Click here for more information or to volunteer for Take Them a Meal or Mitzvah Meals.

Volunteering for Caring Community activities is for members only. Please click here for more information about membership.

Our friendly call program will connect volunteers with congregants at home who would benefit from a weekly call. This program, primarily aimed at seniors, allows our volunteers to build deeper connections with congregants who may feel isolated or disconnected. To sign up, please get in touch with us using our website contact form.

“Next Steps” Group (for widows/widowers): This support/education/discussion group is for TRS widows and widowers beyond the initial stages of grief (i.e., post 6-12 months). Discussions focus on the practical, emotional, and social issues related to moving ahead as a single widowed person. “Next Steps” is not a drop-in group. Instead, we ask that you commit to attending four consecutive weekly sessions (with the possibility of 6 weeks). The group may continue to meet informally without the facilitator after the initial four weeks, generally for dinner, to share experiences, information, resources, and support and to be together. More cohorts will be announced in the future.

Rodef Reach is a volunteer-driven initiative at Temple Rodef Shalom that connects members of our community with meaningful opportunities to support one another. Whether it’s lending a hand with small household tasks, helping to sort mail, providing friendly tech support, or additional opportunities (other than driving or cooking), Rodef Reach pairs volunteers with fellow congregants in need of a helping hand.

Rodef Rides is a program that connects adults in our congregation who cannot transport themselves with volunteer drivers willing to give them a lift to Temple events or other places they need to go. This service makes our community more welcoming and inclusive and allows congregants to participate more fully in our Temple community, especially those who struggle to get to the Temple or may feel isolated and stuck at home—Rodef Rides partners with NV Rides to coordinate these rides. Email if you are in need.

At Temple Rodef Shalom, we strive to uphold the Jewish values of hospitality (hachnasat orchim) and community (kehillah).

Table of Togetherness helps connect members who have an extra seat (or more) at their table with those looking for a welcoming place to celebrate, most often around Passover and the High Holy Days. If you can offer a seat or need one, be on the lookout on our Mitzvah Opportunities calendar for registration dates and we will do our best to make a meaningful match. Together, we can share the warmth and joy of the holidays as one community.

Volunteer Opportunities

Temple Rodef Shalom is proud to offer meaningful ways for members to support one another through volunteer service. Our Caring Community focuses on small acts of kindness that have a big impact.

Here are just a few ways you can get involved:

  • Take Them A Meal – Cook and deliver meals to congregants confronting health challenges or in need of support
  • Mitzvah Meals – Prepare meals to help stock a congregant’s freezer for the weeks ahead
  • Rodef Rides – Provide rides to Temple events or doctor’s appointments for non-driving congregants
  • Rodef Reach – Help with tasks like sorting mail, light home repairs, or making regular check-in calls

No matter your schedule, there’s a way to help. Click below to see these and all our volunteer and mitzvah opportunities.