What started as one bochur’s idea has grown into one of the world’s largest shidduch resource organizations, helping thousands of singles every year.

It wasn’t exactly the headquarters you’d expect for a nationwide organization.

No office. No employees. No elaborate business plan.

Just a bochur, a dorm room in the Irv at BMG, and an idea.

In January 2022, Elimelech Weinreb noticed something interesting. While countless shadchanim worked tirelessly to make shidduchim, very little support existed for what happened after someone said yes to a date.

Where should a bochur go? How should he plan the evening? Where could he borrow a GPS or other dating necessities?

So he started a hotline.

There was no grand vision of building a nationwide organization. Just a willingness to help.

And then the phone started ringing.

A Small Idea That Refused to Stay Small

What began as a date-planning hotline quickly expanded into a network of gemachs providing everything from GPS devices and umbrellas to drinks and games.

Today, the Dating Resources Network (DRN) operates 16 gemachs, used over 25,000 times this year, while its hotline assists with more than 4,000 dates annually.

What started in a dorm room has become what its founder believes is the largest organization of its kind in the world.

But as DRN grew, it uncovered a much bigger problem.

When the Biggest Obstacle Is the Cost

Imagine a bochur who finally receives a promising shidduch suggestion.

Both sides say yes. The date is arranged.

There’s just one problem.

He can’t afford to go.

Between car rentals, gas, tolls, and parking, even a simple first date can cost $165 or more. For families struggling to cover basic necessities, repeated dating expenses can be overwhelming.

That’s why DRN established its Financial Aid Program, discreetly assisting bochurim whose families cannot afford the cost of dating.

Today, DRN distributes over $20,000 every month in financial assistance, with applicants carefully vetted through rabbanim.

The goal is simple: No bochur should have to put shidduchim on hold because he can’t afford another date.

The People Behind the Date

Perhaps most remarkable is that DRN remains almost entirely volunteer-run, with only a part-time bookkeeper on payroll.

Elimelech, now married, continues running the organization together with his wife, Chani, and a dedicated team of volunteers.

What began as a dorm-room project has become a family mission, quietly helping thousands of singles navigate the dating process.

And that brings us to this year’s campaign.

Behind the Date: Keeping the Show Going

DRN’s annual fundraising campaign, “Behind the Date,” takes its inspiration from the theater.

When the curtains open, the audience sees what’s happening on stage. What they don’t see are the countless people working behind the scenes to make it possible.

Dating is much the same.

When a young man and woman sit down together, they should be focused on getting to know each other, not worrying about logistics or whether they can afford another date.

That’s where DRN comes in.

Four years ago, it was one bochur in a dorm room trying to help someone plan a date.

Today, it’s thousands of dates, tens of thousands of gemach visits, and hundreds of families receiving critical assistance.

And somewhere right now, there’s another bochur preparing for a date who has no idea how many people are working behind the scenes to help him.

Help DRN keep the show going.

Support the Behind the Date campaign