Once again Jewish Family Services is preparing for its annual Passover Holiday Project. This year approximately 140 families, or a total of about 300 people, will get a food basket to help them celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Sondra Levy Atherly, JFS’ project coordinator, says that number is about the same as last year, “but it’s not necessarily the same families getting help.” To put these numbers in perspective, when Atherly joined the staff at JFS five years ago, only 60 families received holiday food baskets.
The project, which also helps families at the High Holidays and for Chanukah, is a huge undertaking.
“It involves the entire JFS staff, there are 20 of us, and I currently have a list of 20 volunteers. We’ll probably have another five to 10 volunteers before all is said and done,” Atherly said.
The community and these particular volunteers help the project in three ways. The community, with the help of several congregations and the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, conduct food drives and donate food to be included in the baskets. The volunteers help bag the food and deliver it to the recipients. Monetary donations are also needed to purchase food, especially fresh protein. Yachad — The Kosher Food Pantry provides both food stuff and money. Liberty Fruit donates all the fruits and vegetables.
“Liberty Fruit is incredibly generous and donates a substantial amount of fruits and vegetables. Everything you need to make soup, and then some, and everything you need for a seder plate. Arnie (Caviar) is terrific,” Atherly said.
“The volunteers are especially helpful in doing the deliveries and seem to enjoy that,” Atherly said.
Volunteers can’t always handle all the aspects of programs such as this because of sensitive confidentiality issues. In some cases Atherly said volunteers sign confidentiality agreements. In all cases the recipients have to approve a volunteer coming to their homes.
“If they are not comfortable with that, a staff member will deliver the items,” Atherly said.
Sometimes JFS staffers do the deliveries simply because they know the recipient will be more comfortable that way.
“Anna Feldman delivers all the food to the Russian clients,” Atherly said.
The project hopes to provide families with enough Passover food for the entire week. But Atherly said “in reality it’s going to be close.”
Each family receives two major meats, almost always a chicken and then either a second protein, which is either a frozen chicken, ground beef or stew meat. They also get cheese, gefilte fish, horseradish, matzah and fresh fruits and vegetables.
“Those who like to bake will get cake mixes and brownie mixes and matzah meal and those who don’t will get some sort of dessert item either marshmallows or fruit jells or a chocolate bar,” she said.
As Passover draws closer, JFS is still in need of monetary and food donations to make the project a success.
“We need dessert items. Those little Elite chocolate bars are expensive. We also need gefilte fish. And we need cash for the chickens, the meat and the proteins,” Atherly said.
If your family could use some assistance this Passover, please call Sondra Levy Atherly at JFS at (913) 327-8265 or . All information will be kept confidential. Donations may be made by sending a check to Jewish Family Services Holiday Project, 5801 W. 115th St., Suite 103, Overland Park KS 66211, by calling (913) 327-8250 with your credit card or by logging into the Jewish Family Services website at www.jfskc.org.
KC Kosher Co-op is also lending a hand to JFS in this endeavor. The co-op has set up a function on its website that allows people to make a donation of $18 or $36 to JFS when they make a purchase and go through the check-out. The donated amount is matched by KC Kosher Co-op. Please visit the site at www.kckoshercoop.com.