Maot Chitim

Please join Hakafa members and others in the Chicagoland Jewish community in packing and/or delivering boxes of Rosh Hashanah food and other holiday necessities to Jewish families and individuals who are struggling with food insecurity.

Warehouse location: 1610 Deerfield Road in Highland Park (at the old Toys R Us)

There are three different volunteering options, and pre-registration is required:

Pre-Packing Boxes - Sunday, August 27 
Volunteers are needed in the morning to assemble boxes and to put non-perishable food items in the packages at the warehouse. Shifts start at 9:15 am, 10:30 am, and 11:45 am. Volunteers must be at least 12 years old and wear closed toe shoes.  Click here to sign up for a pre-packing shift on 8/27.

Packing and Loading Boxes on Delivery Day – Sunday, September 10
On the day the packages are delivered, volunteers are needed to help complete the packaging by putting perishable food items into the packages and loading the packages into cars at the warehouse. Volunteers are needed as early as 6:00 AM and must be at least 12 years old and wear closed to shoes.  Click here to sign up to pack/load on 9/10.

Delivering Boxes - Sunday, September 10
Help is needed to deliver the packed boxes of food and other holiday necessities to Jewish homes. Pick-up times at the warehouse run every 15 minutes from 9:00 to 10:30 AM. Come with your car (especially large cars and vans) and families – and make sure to empty out your trunk! Anyone (no age restriction) is invited to help out with the delivery of the packages. Click here to sign up to make deliveries on 9/10.

If you have any questions, please contact Maot Chitim at info@maotchitim.org or 847-674-3224.

Maot Chitim refers to the custom of gathering wheat which was then given to people in need for making matzo for Passover. Maot Chitim of Greater Chicago started over a century ago when Rabbis set up card tables in front of their synagogues and distributed a few dollars to those in need for holiday day meals.

Today, Maot Chitim of Greater Chicago has evolved into a year-round volunteer effort searching for the best and most reasonably priced Kosher products, organizing an army of volunteers, setting up a warehouse, locating recipients through the ARK and other social service agencies, packing the products, coordinating an orderly delivery system, delivering the packages and finally closing up and beginning the plans for the next holiday.

In 1997, Maot Chitim wanted to extend the delivery of holiday food to include Rosh Hashanah because of the growing need in the community.

Click here for more information about Maot Chitim.

If you have any questions about Maot Chitim, please contact Hakafa member, Carol Anne Been.