Goldie’s Gifts, a project run by the Chabad House of Greater Kansas City, is undergoing some changes. The program’s chairs, Barbara Frager and Denise Ellenberg, are searching for people who will underwrite a holiday, or holidays, in exchange for naming rights.
So Goldie’s Gifts, which provides holiday goodies to homebound seniors in the metro area, could be called Sarah’s Smiles, or Barbara’s Baskets, in memory of or in honor of a person designated by the donor. Regardless of what it’s called, the gifts are delivered five times a year to more than 250 homebound seniors in the area prior to Rosh Hashanah, Chanukah, Purim, Passover and Shavuot.
“Our mission is to try to reach isolated Jewish seniors and give them a taste of the holiday,” Frager said.
The program started three years ago with a donation to Chabad House. The anonymous donor asked that the funds be used for senior services. These funds now need replenishing, and the new donors will be given the option of changing the program’s name for whatever holiday the funds are designated for.
Ellenberg estimates it takes $1,000 a holiday to pay for most of the celebratory baskets. It costs about double that amount — $2,000 — for Passover.
Originally, Frager said gifts were delivered to about 150 people. But through word of mouth and relationships made with senior-living facilities across the area, Frager said they expect to deliver about 300 baskets for Purim.
“If we had enough money and volunteers, I think there are 1,000 people in the area that could and should be getting gifts,” Frager said.
Each holiday basket during the year contains battery-operated candles and literature about the holiday. Except for Passover, Ellenberg said each basket contains challah. Purim baskets will contain hamantaschen, juice, snacks and a piece of fruit. A typical Passover basket will include matzah, fruit and macaroons. Gift cards to help supplement other holiday or personal needs are usually included as well.
It takes about 15 volunteers to prepare the baskets. Ellenberg said students are really helpful and can receive community service hours if they help stuff baskets for the project. Adult drivers are also needed to deliver the baskets.
Ellenberg said some of the seniors enjoy chatting with the delivery drivers.
“I spent 30 minutes visiting with a woman the last time we made deliveries,” Ellenberg said.
“Often times these gifts bring back pleasant memories to these people,” she added.
Other people enjoy the gifts but don’t want to visit. Organizers don’t even know the names of some of the people they deliver baskets to.
“Because of HIPAA privacy rules, a facility usually can’t tell us who we are delivering to. They may tell us they have 10 Jewish residents and we just leave the baskets at the front desk and they are delivered to the resident by a staff member,” Frager said.
Frager and Ellenberg said recipients are grateful for the gifts.
“I’ve had people say to me, ‘Why me?’ I say why not you,” Frager said.
Ellenberg said many of the recipients are lonely and don’t have much, if any, contact with family or anyone else.
“They don’t call JFS because they don’t think they are really in need. But they are in spiritual need for human contact,” Ellenberg said.
Anyone interested in donating money for Goldie’s Gifts, or who can volunteer in any way, should contact Blumah Wineberg at 913-940-1113. Or contact Chabad House at .