Women and Girls Support Baby Fund

Close to 100 young women braved sub-teen temperatures to attend a fundraiser at the home of Menachem and Dini Gurevich for a local organization which helps welcome newborns.

Ezrat Chana, a Crown Heights based organization providing essentials to needy families with newborns, held a fundraising event recently.

Quietly and without fanfare, the organization founded by Rachel Dahan and Yafit Yadger in memory of Rebetzin Chana Pizem ob“m of the Krayot in Israel, has already helped over 550 families by providing baby essentials such as a receiving blanket, baby outfits, sleepers, layettes, diapers, wipes and more.

The need for this fund is critical, and has increased in the past few months due to the deteriorating economy, says Yafit Yadger, founder of the organization. ”Many times, the initial call comes from the new mother still recuperating in the hospital, wondering how she will bring the child home and how to provide for him,“ she says.

”While listening to the requests, sometimes we learn more about the family’s needs, which leads to other asisstance, such as support for siblings or clothing for the mother herself,” she notes.

For the past seven years, a small group of the founders’ friends would gather one evening a year for a small auction, which raised a few thousand dollars annually.

Lately there has been such an increase in requests for assistance, even from those who may have previously helped the organization, that this year the committee decided to invite many more people and bring awareness to a larger crowd. Using Facebook and other Social Media, they quickly tripled the attendance.

The event was graciously hosted by Menachem and Dini Gurevich at their new home on President Street, who not only opened their home, but are regular supporters of this organization, and also provided much of the food.

Additional cakes and salads were home baked and donated by many of the women in attendance.

Each participant brought along a gift in the $20-$30 range, which was later auctioned for an even higher value. A few people donated more expensive gifts such as jewelry, with the largest gift offered by Racheli and Dovi Chaimson, a select human hair wig by Galit Italia, which was auctioned off for $1,020.

A special musical performance was given by Morah Dini Avichzer and the 2nd grade class of Beth Rivkah.