JFCS programs collaborate, and it’s a win/win for everyone

By Stacey Spencer • JFCS Disability Services Manager

The JFCS Caring Connections program provides opportunities for Jewish adults with disabilities to take part in social and educational events and to engage in Jewish holidays, celebrations, and traditions. The participants enjoy and appreciate coming to the events, and they often ask how they can give back in some way to the community in appreciation of being Caring Connections members.

Therefore, on a Sunday afternoon in November, 36 Caring Connections members, their friends, group home housemates, staff, and family members came to volunteer at JFCS to help with making up the different components of Hag Sameach Mitzvah bags. Hag Sameach is a program that helps ensure people in our community who need extra assistance, both during the holidays and throughout the rest of the year, have a resource to receive holiday gifts and essential items for Chanukah.

We had different stations set up around the room and it was about offering options for them to choose how they wanted most to contribute to this meaningful volunteer experience. The stations included packing ritual items into the bags; adult coloring designs for the individually wrapped gifts; and assembling and decorating foam Jewish stars to put on the mitzvah bags. The gift bags the Hag Sameach recipients get include Chanukah ritual items such as candles, dreidels, and chocolate gelt, which helps them have a meaningful holiday. This collaborative event helped meet the goals of both JFCS’ Caring Connections and Hag Sameach programs.

Caring Connections members helped with the tasks needed for assembling the Hag Sameach program’s mitzvah bags. We packed… wait for it…169 mitzvah bags, gift wrapped over 20 gifts, and assembled and decorated more than15 Jewish stars – all in one hour! For the Caring Connections members, not only was it a lively and really fun event, (including the requested ABBA music that played in the background!), it was also empowering for them to give back and help support others in our community.

The meaningful outcome of volunteering for the Hag Sameach program was felt strongly by the Caring Connections members. Besides giving back to the Jewish community, Caring Connections events are impactful and meaningful to the members. Often, they are not always invited to many events and can feel isolated – attending the Caring Connections events are meaningful and the members have formed a strong community with one another. 

But it is much more than just that. At this collaborative Caring Connections event, we were not a group of people with disabilities in a room; we were people in a room with the common goal of helping others. Caring Connections members had the opportunity to experience the great sense of accomplishment and the warm-fuzzy feeling we all get when we volunteer and help others. The requests are already coming in to volunteer with the Hag Sameach program again next year, which we definitely will!

For more information, contact Stacey Spencer, Disability Services Manager, at sspencer@jfcsmpls.org or 952-542-4845.