Christmas shift gift to first responders? Loads of lasagna from synagogue members
Not only Christians have Christmas traditions. For the 11th year, members of the Modesto synagogue Congregation Beth Shalom have observed the holiday by making Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners for first responders and housebound Modestans.
Volunteers made 30 pans of lasagna, plus salad, cookies, brownies and other desserts. They delivered to those working at Juvenile Hall, the Public Safety Center, American Medical Response, Stanislaus Regional 911 and elsewhere.
Stanislaus Superior Court Judge Rubén Villalobos and his mother, Marianne, ferried the meals to AMR and Juvenile Hall staff. The latter is where the judge, who’s assigned to the juvenile delinquency department, works. He said it’s important for those on the job on Christmas to have a nice meal, and “since we’re not home cooking our turkey, we can provide a meal for them.”
His mother called the holiday meals “a happy way” to help others.
Those on the receiving end were pretty happy, too.
About a dozen people were working at AMR around lunchtime Tuesday and communications supervisor Denton Armstrong said the staff has come to look forward to the meal each Christmas. “We don’t want to just assume (the meal is coming) in case something happens one year and they’re unable to do that for us,” he said, but it’s sweet and humbling that CBS helps so many public-safety employees who have to work.
The congregation was connected to homebound seniors through a list the Howard Training Center provided to the Area Agency on Aging, said Joyce Gandelman, vice president of the CBS Board of Directors. “We start calling and asking how many will be home and want a meal,” she said, adding that they typically deliver to 20 homes a year.
In addition to making deliveries, the CBS volunteers set tables at the synagogue to welcome first responders who could drop by to either dine in or grab a boxed meal to go.
On Christmas Eve, perhaps 18 Modesto police officers came by, in addition to half a dozen AMR ambulance workers, Gandelman said.
On Christmas Day, one of the first to stop in for lunch was MPD Officer Randy Angle. On a busy day — which included a suspicious death and a double shooting — it was great to have a quiet moment to enjoy a good meal, he said. “It makes a world of differnce to us. ... We’re able to take a break and relax, eat in a safe atmosphere. We’re away from our families and we truly appreciate it.”
This story was originally published December 25, 2018 at 3:37 PM.
