One shared, well-used truck carries the handful of things that make sense to own once and share, rather than ask every family to buy their own. This is the full list — and it's exactly where donations go.
Not every gathering uses everything on this list — small gatherings need very little. This grows with us.
Composting toilets with pop-up privacy enclosures, wood chips (or similar cover material), and non-toxic toilet paper.
Stainless steel and copper washing cups, stacking buckets for water and wash-water, and water jugs.
Good-quality rechargeable lanterns for shared areas, plus a couple of small generators for larger gatherings that need them.
Basic cooking appliances (electric or gas) for gatherings that want shared hot food beyond a campfire barbecue.
One large shared tent for community meals and the pop-up shul (synagogue space) — the one thing everyone gathers under together.
A set of sturdy, natural-material tents families can sign up for, use, and return to the truck for the next gathering.
For gatherings of around 10 or more, a sefer Torah so the community can hold a proper minyan and Torah reading.
String and simple wooden posts for building a kosher eruv where needed — see below.
First, the eruv: unless a host's property already has a standing eruv, we can't run a larger gathering without constructing one — there's no version of a bigger event that works without it, and building one only makes sense once there's a real group of families.
Second, minyan: once there are enough families, there are typically 10 men interested in davening together at some point over the weekend. No one is required to attend minyan — this isn't a yeshiva — but we want the option to genuinely be there for the people who want it. Roughly 15 families is what it usually takes to comfortably have 10 men who'd like to join.
Eruv construction is offered at no cost, led by someone who has personally maintained and upkept very large community eruvin in Brooklyn for many years. Building one for a gathering does take two additional helpers alongside the family minimum.
Smaller gatherings (under the minimum) run without an eruv or a guaranteed minyan, as they do today.
No hidden costs, no overhead you can't see. Every dollar goes toward keeping gatherings free and making this truck more capable.
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