PANTRY IS BARE — OK, so Yachad-The Kosher Food Pantry is not completely out of food, but the shelves are quite bare. I was there on Sunday and the pickings are slim for those who are in need of extra help. My friend Sherrill Parkhurst, who is the volunteer director of Yachad, said the pantry needs help in two ways right now. The first thing it needs ASAP is non-perishable protein, especially canned tuna and salmon and jars of peanut butter. Her second request is for more pairs of helping hands. This month volunteers delivered Simcha boxes filled with food, fresh bread and Shabbat candles to 97 Jewish families. Drivers are needed to help with this project and young, strong people are especially helpful when loading and unloading the vehicles. Yachad can’t wait until the High Holiday food drives to fill its shelves. You can help the pantry now by dropping food off at the pantry, which is located at Chabad House (6201 Indian Creek Dr.). A barrel is also located at Congregation Beth Torah. Parkhurst also will personally pick up donations. To volunteer or donate, contact Parkhurst at . Anyone needing a little extra help to get through these tough economic times can visit the pantry on the first Sunday of the month from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., no appointment needed. Help is available, no questions asked.
MILITARY HONOR — A memorial to those who lost their lives or went missing in the western waters of the Atlantic Ocean during World War II was dedicated by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, but somehow that information didn’t make it to all the families of those whose names appear on the memorial. Not too long ago when Pete Rosen was researching family history, he learned about the East Coast War Memorial, located in New York City’s Battery Park. This summer his father, Herb Rosen, a career Army officer who retired as a lieutenant colonel after serving 21 years, and his mother, Bonnie, visited the memorial because the name of Herb’s uncle, Charles Rosen, is one of the 4,600 names inscribed on it. The memorial is huge, featuring four 19-foot pylons, but Herb was able to find the name he was looking for, listed as Charles Rosen, Master Sergeant, U.S. Army, Missouri. He was on a ship that was lost at sea in 1942. Charles Rosen’s youngest sister, Sue Singer, is his last surviving sibling and still lives in the Kansas City area. Serving our country runs in the Rosen family as Pete is a graduate of the Military Academy at West Point.
FUN EVENING — Leslie Mark reports that a fun night was had by all Aug. 4 at The Cheap Dates concert, part of the Thursday Night Summer Concert Series at Park Place. The band is made up of Toni Dodd, lead vocals; Max Berry, guitar/lead vocals; Dee Pack, guitar/vocals; Jimmy Rosenbloom, keyboards/vocals; Steve Cole, bass guitar/vocals; and Jeff Daniels, drums/vocals. “The best moment was seeing Skipper Feingold, with her nurse in tow, tapping her feet to the rock and roll — and then getting up and dancing,” Mark said. There’s only one more concert there this summer, from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight, Aug. 11.