SAN ANTONIO — Every Christmas, volunteers from Temple Beth-El roll up their sleeves and get to work in the kitchen.
The food they prepare isn't for their friends or families. It's for the nourishment of strangers.
KENS 5 learned more about the Jewish community's dedication to service on Christmas Day, thanks to a tip we received at Haven For Hope. We found out the majority of volunteers serving hot meals this Christmas will be from Temple Beth-El.
Mara Nathan, Senior Rabbi of Temple Beth-El, says this year they decided to put an emphasis on serving the more vulnerable populations.
"This isn't really our holiday, so we want to be able to give back," said Nathan.
Temple Beth-El's mission, she says, comes alive during the holiday season. Director of Programming and Social Justice for Temple Beth-El, Ross Halfant, organizes the volunteering opportunities.
"Our message is always that human beings all deserve to be treated with love and respect," said Nathan. "That's what we want for everybody."
Every December, roughly 150 volunteers from Temple Beth-El go into the community to serve.
Many begin Christmas morning with a bonding experience of preparing food together.
"Feeding people is something we take really seriously. Also members of our congregation not only love to cook, but they love to cook for other people," Nathan explained.
In the past, Nathan says volunteers have helped organizations like the San Antonio Food Bank, Corazón Ministries, the Ronald McDonald House and Family Violence Prevention Services.
This year will be their first Christmas serving meals at St. Vinny's, a bistro at Haven for Hope that serves the unsheltered of San Antonio.
"Every single human being deserves to have hot meals...to have something that enables them to feel special and cared for," Nathan said.
While hoping for peace amid the suffering overseas, this group stays true to their commitment to serve the community where they live.
"The Jewish community is so small here in San Antonio, but we feel really that this is our home and we want to make our home the best place it could possibly be for all people," said Nathan.