Small things go a long way

we received a call that a mans roof was damaged. water leaking into his dining room  and couldn’t even have dinner with his family.

i explain that a new roof would cost thousands and we are not in the position to fix it for that amount. but what we an do is a patch job. it may hold for a few years, but no guarantees.

he agreed.

1 year later was sitting in shul. a man approached me and said ” can I have word with you” so i sat with him nervously  waiting for what I thought would be a man who’s in some kind of trouble..

he started to say ” I don’t know if you remember me,but im the guy who called you last year to fix my roof” I replied yes a remember you called” did we do the job good? he replied yes. ” but 2 weeks after was hurricane sandy” he blew off my roof” ruined the windows” the siding” it was worse then ever” when i went to the insurance company to claim it they said” your roof was always damaged” we;re not giving you a penny unless you can prove to us that sandy affected you”.

I was distraught and didn’t know what to do” our roof was so damaged that the house was not liveable” I then rembered that you gave me a receipt from Mitzvah man for $350″.

i went to present it to the insurance company” 2 days later they sent me a check for 25 grand” THANK YOU MIZTVAH MAN” i was able to fix my roof.the windows ,the siding ect. “my house is like new”.

I knew it was time expand and recruit volunteers, So I put and add out. Along

came our 1 st volunteer,Michael needle men . Hi, my name is Michael needle

men, I’m dry anxious to et started” I can do anything you want. I’m ready

and anxious” it was summer time and I was away or the summer. I told Michael

” ok as soon as I her back from summer vacation ill meet with you and get

you on our volunteer list. I wasn’t sure who he was and I didn’t want to

nyone who calls to volunteer. I wanted to meet him and feel more comfortable

with him. He was very anxious and didnt want to wait,he was pushing me  to

add him on the list ASAP.i told him lets wait till Labor Day. That dame day

I received a call from a women in a panic. She said she was shopping in a

grocery store when she ran into a crippled man who didnt speak English” he

managed to explain to me he needs help shopping” he needs money as he’s

illegal and has no funding” he’s also getting evicted from his apt  as he

has no tent money soon and if he does hel have to either go in a shelter or

Russia where his life was horrible their” I’ve been taking care of him for 3

weeks,spending my money on him asking him in wheel chair shopping” but I’m

moving to Israel in a few days and I cant leave this man alone” he’s

helpless” what do you need i asked” I need someone to ate him for his green

card,then get funding, then food stamps” I replied” this will take days todo

and I don’t have nyone to do this and I’m away” even if I was their” no way

I can go for a few days pls ate a man in wheel chair to these apps” but let

me think about it” ahhhhh! Michael needle man ” how can I ask this man to

take off work and perform such a difficult task? I said I have no choice and

called him” Michael I know this is not the normal hesed request but. Have a

man that needs a lt if help” he said sure what can I do sounding very

hungry” I have a crippled man in a week chair” he die sent speak English’ ”

he needs someone to ate him fr get funding, green card food stamps” can u

help? He said ” I’m on it” I gold him ” r u sure? Thus sy take days and

tremendous effort to do” he said ” I’m on it” I get a call 2 days later” hi

it’s Michael ” it’s ALL done” I took him for g t funding,green card, food

stamps” it took 2 full days, a lt of waiting on lines and paper wrk but he’s

all set” he’s not getting evicted as now be can at the rent” he has food and

us now a citizen” wow ow I couldn’t believe this act of hesed . 3 years

later, I haven’t heard from Michael, I thought maybe he lost interest in

hesed, maybe it was  temporary”  or got tied up in work”

Finally one day I received a text” hi it’s me Michael needle men” is this

you mitzvah man? I said yes’ he said he hasn’t received a text message to do

hesed in 3. Yrs

I explained to him we had some glitches with our system and ur took a few

people off but now it’s working” I said  great welcome back” he responded ”

by the way ” remember that guy I helped 3 years ago? Well I’ve Been helping

him since then 3 times a week with errands ECt” I never stopped” plus I

moved to another state 6 months ago but I come in weekly to help him”