Tell us about your nominee. Why should he or she be recognized as a Jewish Community Hero?
Throughout his life, Iray has shown a personal dedication to helping those in need that is truly inspirational. Iray's hands-on commitment to service began back in 1990 when he started volunteering at The Community Kitchen in Keene, New Hampshire. This nonprofit soup kitchen and food pantry is a vital regional center that provides emergency food assistance to more than 12,000 men, women and children annually. Over the next 16 years Iray became involved in virtually every aspect of the Kitchen's activities. His duties included serving as Kitchen Coordinator, planning menus, overseeing stock rotation, coordinating other volunteers, assisting with the annual holiday auction, tracking donations, doing data entry during the food pantry distribution, and cooking meals for more than 100 people each night. One of Iray's most significant accomplishments during his time at The Community Kitchen was personally initiating programs to deliver any surplus food to nearby drop-in centers and food banks that otherwise would go to waste.
What problem did your nominee identify in the community that needed to be solved? How has your nominee's efforts made a difference for others?
Iray's life changed dramatically in January 2006. When he heard about the horrific destruction caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Iray went to the Gulf Coast to volunteer at the Made With Love Cafe, a relief kitchen in Arabi, St Bernard Parish. Located just east of New Orleans, St Bernard Parish (county) was nearly destroyed by the storms. Every home and business was flooded, and nearly 200 people drowned. Iray's original intention was to stay in the New Orleans area for a few weeks, serving 1300 meals each day to local residents and relief workers. But as he talked with people who had lost everything -- from clothes to cars to pets to homes, and even family members -- Iray's plans for a short stay turned into a long-term commitment. After 18 days he flew home to New Hampshire to tie up loose ends and walk out of his former life. Iray returned to Arabi on Valentine's Day 2006, determined to do whatever he could to help the devastated families of St Bernard Parish recover. He envisioned a place where hurricane survivors could come together to socialize, receive emergency services, talk openly about their successes and frustrations during the recovery, and express their grief for what they had lost. Local families shared his dream, and by May of 2006 more than 1500 households had signed a petition calling for the establishment of a permanent community center. Thanks to this strong grassroots effort the nonprofit Community Center of St Bernard (www.ccstb.org) was able to hold its grand opening ceremony in January 2007 with Iray as the volunteer Executive Director. More than two years have passed since then, and under Iray's guidance the Community Center has grown into one of the premier recovery resource providers in the greater New Orleans area. Still working as an unpaid volunteer, Iray oversees an organization that has already served more than 5,000 unique families. In just the past 6 months: The Center's Food Pantry has given out 140,915 lbs of food to 4,711 low-income individuals. The Hot Meals Program has served 414 hot suppers and 3,410 hot lunches. Office staff have passed out 15,951 flyers, brochures and pamphlets to help families find the help they need. They've also made 1,732 referrals. 79 people have signed up for the Community Centers free computer classes. The Clothing Bank has been accessed 11,034 times. 2,025 free books have been given out in the Center's reading area. And the Center's media lab (internet computers, public phones, fax & copying services) has been used 4,349 times. Iray's success in turning the Community Center of St Bernard from a shared dream into a real bricks-and-mortar facility where thousands of families come for assistance is a shining example of the difference that one individual can make in the lives of those around him. For his ongoing and selfless dedication to helping those still struggling to recover from the storms, Iray is truly a Hero to the people of St Bernard Parish.
