Thanks From Our Community
I really can’t express the gratitude of what you and the JFS has done for me. All the food you gave me especially today was just unbelievable, from the breakfast to the snacks. The fresh fruit was amazing! I didn’t think you had anything but non-perishables and it’s really going to help and go a very long way.
- A Grateful Client
This last month has been what I describe as a ‘positive whirlwind.’ My wife was hired by a private school in south Georgia about a month ago. She’s teaching Spanish language education in their senior school - her definite forte.
The ‘whirlwind’ part was our decision that for the time being we need to ensure that our son’s needs are met between his ABA services in Sandy Springs as well as his repeating pre-K at our synagogue. In order to do that while not creating too impractical a commute for either of us, we found a home to rent in Stockbridge (a decent enough halfway point).
So my wife is commuting south to work and I’m commuting north to Sandy Springs to take our son to his ABA therapy and what will be resuming school next month as well. An irony of ‘rental costs’ is that I found a very decent house that is almost $600 less per month than my previous apartment (and a yard to play!). The difference between living in the metro area versus a ‘bedroom community’ I suppose!
If all goes well for my wife at the school (they love her already 😊), and there’s a second year contract, then we will plan to relocate to south Georgia. At that point, our son will be ready for Kindergarten, and it would be best to seek both ABA services and a good school environment in our new city.
I share all the details of what has transpired because it is clear that this transition was possible because of the incredible help we received from Jewish Family Services as well as the other generous help from our synagogue and JIFLA.
We cannot thank you enough for what you provided our family in a time of need. We have walked away from the edge of a precipice and only want to look in the positive direction of stability, health and growth. You truly helped make this all possible!
Please express all our heartfelt thanks to everyone at JFS for their support and guidance. We are forever grateful!
Most warmly,
A Grateful Client
I just wanted to say thank you so much for offering the food assistance. My husband and I just picked up everything from the JF&CS Center and we are truly so thankful for everything. This is a tremendous blessing for our family. Words can’t express our gratitude for your sincere will to help. I will work on my application tonight and I will follow up with you tomorrow. Have a blessed day and please send my regards to the whole JF&CS family.
Shalom,
A Grateful Client
I treasure the relationship created with our weekly phone calls. She is strong inside and out. Her moral compass is pointed in the right direction. She has a kind spirit and a love for all humanity. When we talk, I can hear the smile on the other side of the phone. She is truly one special person. When this coronavirus is over, I’d like to meet my new friend. Thanks again for letting me be a volunteer.
- One Good Deed Volunteer
Hey there. I wanted to let you know that it took me almost an hour to put all of the food away! What a blessing! Thank you so much! I found out today that things are actually worse than I had thought. My husband's pay went down to one third, not half. I’m trying to digest all of this.
I am composing a thank you note to the donor. I am so grateful that I’m at a loss for words right now.
Thanks again for shedding some light during this dark time for our family.
- A Grateful Client
I am so thankful for the space JFCS provided through their online therapy groups in the last few months. In doing so, JFCS helped me process and gain a deeper understanding of how I was affected by COVID-19, as well as some personal events happening at the time. The staff have helped me live a better, more meaningful life, to be kind to myself and those around me, and continue to function in a whole way, even in the midst of a broken world.
All the best,
A Grateful Client
Thank you again for the food assistance. It was so welcome. I cannot tell you what it means in this difficult time. We appreciate your help and assistance so very much.
It was also lovely to speak briefly with the people who packed the cartons. This is really a beautiful community.
Stay well,
All my best.
- A Grateful Client
Stories from JF&CS Frontlines
"I'm on the phone with some of the elders I visit, and they are so glad to hear a friendly voice and spend some time together. Several people are pretty much confined to their room in the facility. Staff comes in to drop meals and check on them, but there are no activities, no face to face interactions with other residents, or family. Lonely, scared, sad, bored, frustrated are all words I've heard. I try to get them talking about good memories, to encourage, even briefly, some good feelings and a distraction from their moment to moment.
I've also had several opportunities to recite the viddui, end of life prayer over the phone or with face time. Luckily, none of the cases have been COVID. They have been for folks both at home and in the hospital. In some cases, there have been one or two family members on the call, in other cases just the hospital nurse holding the phone. Funny how I'm less rattled when people cry in my presence than I am when on the phone with them. Folks are very grateful for the calls and tell me so, but I am always left with a strange sad and feeling that something isn't quite finished. The absence of human contact and connection has made difficult situations even harder."
- Rabbi Beiner, JF&CS Community Chaplain