A volunteer handing off food to an older adult client

For many of the older adults we serve, especially those living on fixed incomes, the holidays can bring added stress at the grocery store and the checkout line. Between the cost of a nutritious and balanced diet and the difficulty of transporting heavy bags back home, preparing for the new year can quickly feel like a burden instead of a celebration for our older adults. This High Holiday season, JCCGCI changed that for hundreds, who left our High Holiday Food Distribution with fresh groceries, holiday essentials, and a meaningful reminder that their community was looking out for them.

An older adult client smiling

On August 31, our staff was joined by a group of dedicated volunteers to pack over 900 bags of healthy groceries and holiday treats to distribute to older adults who might otherwise go without a hearty meal or the foods that uphold the deeply impactful traditions they have cherished and celebrated for an entire lifetime.

“No one should have to wonder how they’ll fill their table when the new year arrives,” said JCCGCI Executive Director Rabbi Moshe Wiener. “Seeing so many of our older adults walk away with a bag in hand and a comforted smile, speaking about their gratitude for the support JCCGCI provides, is what inspires us all to work hard and show up every single day.”

Chicken and eggs that were distributed

Each older adult was given a scheduled time over the following two days to pick up their pre-packed bag, ensuring that lines stayed short and that we respected the value of our clients’ time. When a participant arrived, they were greeted with a warm hello and instructed to present their ID and confirm their appointment time. Then, one of our devoted volunteers would gather all of their food and escort it out with them to relieve our older adults from the physical burdens of transporting their nutritious groceries.

For those who arrived without an appointment, our team invited them to return at 2:30 PM on the final day to claim any bags that had not been picked up, ensuring that nothing went to waste and that every ounce of food was used to feed members of the community in need of dietary support.

Many of our older adults also made their way to us through JCCGCI’s Older Adult Transportation Program, which has spent decades helping older New Yorkers get where they need to go to live independently and with dignity. Participants were dropped off and returned home by our buses and car service, ensuring that older adults with limited mobility could observe the season’s cherished traditions with a full table and a deep sense of care.

A JCCGCI Older Adult Transportation bus

When rain began to fall on the second day, nothing slowed us down. Our staff and volunteers kept on carrying, distributing, and greeting, and our older adults kept on showing up with a smile. If anything, the gloomy weather made the spirit of the day even clearer: when it matters most, the JCCGCI family shows up for one another, rain or shine.

Volunteers and older adults enduring the rain

We were honored to be joined by public officials and community leaders who took time out of their busy schedules to meet with our staff, volunteers, and older adults, to learn more and get involved in what we do. Our thanks go to NYC Comptroller Mark Levine, Assemblyman Lester Chang, Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny, and Community Liaison Olga Fiore for the Office of State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton. We were also joined by local leadership from the Claims Conference, whose presence underscored their longstanding commitment to bringing dignity to the older adults and Holocaust survivors we serve.

NYC Comptroller Mark Levine distributing groceries

The Claims Conference team alongside the JCCGCI team

None of this would have been possible without our incredible volunteers, who showed up for the community with a contagious enthusiasm and spirit. We are deeply grateful to our volunteers from the Claims Conference, JCRC-NY, NCSY, Kane Street Synagogue, and the ADL NY/NJ. Their kindness was felt by everyone who took part in these special days.

A volunteer with a JCCGCI food bag

We extend our deepest appreciation to the MetCouncil, whose generous support and steadfast partnership made this distribution possible and allowed us to reach hundreds of older adults in time for the new year.

“Partnerships like this one are what allow us to turn a plan into hundreds of meals and hundreds of lives made a little easier,” said JCCGCI Executive Senior Grant Manager Sara Chamama. “We are so grateful to the Met Council for standing with us, and to every volunteer who stayed through the rain to make sure our older adults were taken care of.”

Senior Grants Manager Sara Chamama thanking Met Council

The High Holidays are a time for gathering, for tradition, and for the comfort of a full table. For the older adults who spent a lifetime building the community we share today, that comfort should never depend on what they can afford or how far they can travel. Over two days in early September, hundreds of older adults went home with food in hand and the knowledge that their community stands beside them. That is the promise at the heart of JCCGCI’s work, and one we will keep making long after the holiday season.

👉 Want to get involved? Volunteers are always needed for upcoming events and programs. Visit https://www.jccgci.org/programs/volunteer/, email us at info@jccgci.org, or call 718-449-5000 to learn more.

👉 Want to learn more about how we support older adults? Visit https://www.jccgci.org/programs/older-adult-services/

Older adult clients enjoying the food distribution