Simcha Gifts, a program of the Chabad House Center, has experienced much success this year in preparing and delivering holiday packages to a variety of people within the Jewish community, including seniors living in facilities and their own homes.
The deliveries were for Shavuot and four other holidays. The program delivered 3,037 packages for the five holidays.
Leaders of the Simcha Gifts effort decided to deliver for Shavuot, even as it came on the heels of Purim and Passover (one month apart) and then Shavuot, seven weeks later. The committee members forged ahead despite wondering if they would have enough volunteers to deliver.
The Shavuot packages included information about the holiday, the Ten Commandments in English, and the candle-lighting time. Other items included challah rolls, flowers, and some candies.
For home deliveries, and where fire was permitted, tea lights were included. The deliveries included silk flowers. One Jewish senior was spotted shopping at a grocery store with her white rose attached to her walker!
Volunteers met at the Chabad House Center on a Sunday morning to pack 600 bags. A number of new volunteers came, including the daughter of a recipient of Simcha Gifts. She wanted to give back as her mother, of blessed memory, very much enjoyed and appreciated receiving the holiday packages.
Simcha Gifts contacted the activity directors in more than 74 facilities. The group sent information about the Jewish holidays and offered to be of further assistance to their Jewish residents.
Thirty-three facilities and retirement centers received packages for Shavuot, which serviced at least 290 Jewish residents. Home deliveries went to 325 homes.
In conclusion, this year has been a challenging one for many individuals and organizations. Simcha Gifts is no exception.
We are most grateful to have received a financial allocation from Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City, which helped assure that we would be able to bring the love and care of a Simcha Gifts package to so many individuals in our community.
In spite of the challenging times, Simcha Gifts worked closely with facilities and was able to deliver for each major Jewish holiday, five times this year, as in previous years.
We also expanded our in-house offerings with a Passover seder on the first two nights of Passover in three facilities by bringing in two Rabbinic students who walked to a number of locations.
The Simcha Gifts committee members are: Marsie Bornstein, Erica Bush, Barbara Frager, Dini Freed, Pam Reiz, Roni Roth Beshears, Mindy Wajcman, Blumah Wineberg, Jean Zeldin.
We are very grateful to the many volunteers who helped pack and deliver Simcha Gifts throughout this year.
Simcha Gifts is looking for sponsors for this growing program for the coming year. Your financial gift can be in honor or in memory of a loved one. Please call Blumah Wineberg at 913 940 ext. 1113 to be a part of this big mitzvah.
