Matchmaker, Matchmaker

By Emily Raij

If you’re active in the Jewish Moms of Orlando Facebook group, you’ve probably seen Joanne Berman’s name pop up with a request for families in need. Or maybe you’ve perused the wares on her tables of Judaica set up in The Roth Family JCC lobby before Hanukkah and asked for her assistance with finding the perfect holiday gift. It’s possible she’s even helped you with her childcare and pet sitting services. This busy Lake Mary mom does a lot, but her humble attitude and behind-the-scenes giving have long hidden the superhero within: Joanne Berman is the Secret Mensch.

This superhero’s origin story begins with her childhood in South Africa. When Joanne was just four years old, she would accompany her mother to local nursing homes to bring residents flowers.

“From that day on, I became more of a giver than a receiver,” she says. “I just learned from a young age to give and pass on.”

Joanne brought that giving spirit with her when she moved to the Orlando area 37 years ago. For 24 years, she has been volunteering with Congregation Ohev Shalom to order food for the homeless, and she often took her son with her to feed the homeless when he was younger.

“It taught him to appreciate what he had,” says Joanne. “I remember he would come home at night and say how much he appreciated having a roof over his head.”

The grateful spirit of Joanne’s son continued into his adulthood. When he earned a job at Microsoft, he gave his very first paycheck to the Chabad rabbi at UCF so that others could benefit.

“When kids see parents helping the community, they learn to help, too,” says Joanne. “That, to me, is everything in the world – the knowledge that this next generation will give.”

So how did Joanne become the Super Mensch she is today, helping even more people on a daily basis through her Facebook network and charity contacts? About seven years ago, she discovered a local group on Freecycle, an online gifting site that promotes reusing and recycling within communities worldwide by allowing people to post and pass on items they no longer use. Joanne used the site to pay it forward and expand her circle of giving.

“I got onto Facebook to look for more Freecycle sites, and that’s how I started messaging people to help families,”  Joanne explains.

The donations came from different sources – people whose parents passed away or referrals from Chabad rabbis – but Joanne always found that whenever a family had something to give, another family would have a need. Joanne’s superpower was taken to a new level as she began to deliver bags, boxes, and even beds in her Menschmobile (a large van), though she views herself as a matchmaker who connects families.

“I don’t have these items unless people donate,” says Joanne. “They’re the heroes. I just find the homes for what they give.”

But Joanne does recognize that some greater force seems to be at work here.

“It’s bashert,” she explains. “Someone will message me with a need, and it turns out another person just said they can donate. It feels like God puts people in my life, because I have even driven around and found things within a couple days of families asking for the same thing.”

That’s exactly what happened when Joanne spotted a table and chairs on someone’s curb while driving down a particular street in a huge neighborhood. She checked with the people who left the furniture out to be sure they were getting rid of it and then delivered it to a family who made that exact request just a day before. Then there was a family with children sleeping on pillows because they had no beds. Joanne heard from another family that was moving and had beds to donate, so she used her superpowers to make another match.

It really does seem bashert, meant to be. Even more meaningful is that Joanne frequently becomes friends and stays in touch with the families she helps, and they often contact her with items to donate, such as baby clothes, when they no longer need them.

One day, Joanne was washing her car in her driveway, and two children rode by on their bikes. The brother and sister stopped to talk, and Joanne gave them a puzzle. The girl went home but quickly returned with a bicycle she had outgrown, asking if Joanne could find another little girl who could use it.

That is how Joanne spreads her superpower to others. And here’s where you can become a superhero, too. Look for Joanne’s posts on Facebook to see if you have something for a family she’s helping. Contact local organizations, such as Harbor House, a domestic violence shelter for women, or The Picnic Project, an organization that provides hot meals and clothing to men, women, and children. Joanne works with and recommends both groups because the donations go directly to families.