On December 30, 2019 twelve Tikvat Israel women participated in a Women’s Network’s night of service at Shepherd’s Table. Several men were also present to help with the heavy lifting tasks. Besides serving food, the TI women were involved in setting up the dinner tables with utensils, condiments and water; preparing trays of bread and desserts; collecting entry tickets; washing and drying dishes, pots and trays; and cleaning up the dining room and prep areas after the guests departed. December 30 turned out to be an unusually busy night. While the typical number of dinner guests coming through the Shepherd’s Table serving line tends to be 130 – 150, the Tikvat Israel women found themselves serving food and beverages to 195 guests — a 25 percent increase over the normal numbers.
Shepherd’s Table, located in Silver Spring, is a soup kitchen and resource center for the homeless and needy. Besides providing three meals a day, the resource center offers a clothes closet and an eye clinic among its numerous social and medical services. Tikvat Israel serves dinner at Shepherd’s Table in any month that has a fifth Monday.
