Kansas: Volunteer Group is Honored for Work; Congregation Beth Torah Prepares Meals for AIDS Patients

Since May 9, 1993, volunteers from the Congregation Beth Torah in Overland Park, Kan., have been responsible for the Sunday night meal at SAVE Home, a midtown Kansas City assisted living facility for men and women with AIDS.

Laura Aaronson, SAVE Home's project coordinator, and Congregation Beth Torah were honored for their efforts last month when they received one of five Ribbon of Hope community service awards from the AIDS Council of Greater Kansas City and the AIDS Service Foundation of Greater Kansas City. The community service awards honor the volunteers who work with AIDS issues. Mark Anderson, executive director of SAVE Inc., the umbrella organization for SAVE Home, said the agency saves both time and money through the synagogue's largesse: The donated meal is one that the agency doesn't have to cover through its budget, and staff members can take on other tasks rather than spending Sunday afternoons preparing a meal. In addition, the volunteers help increase awareness of the disease in Kansas City, he said.

Randy Corn, manager of SAVE Home said, "Most groups start and go for a couple of years, but then they tire of it." Aaronson hasn't detected any loss of interest in the project on the part of the 75 families who volunteer for it. Some bring meals regularly, others sign up for an annual visit. She recruits on a quarterly basis and at the major Jewish holidays in the fall, when large numbers of Jews attend holiday services at the synagogue. Volunteers receive a reminder packet with a Torah study, directions to the house and guidelines for food safety and nutrition.

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