Project Spotlight: Bringing Picnic Coolers to the Elderly
The Fellowship | August 13, 2019
To celebrate summer and bring youth volunteers together with elderly in Israel, The Fellowship’s field coordinator in the Jordan Valley and Gilboa region organized a summer volunteer outing. Fellowship youth volunteers in the 8th and 10th grades were excited to meet up with some of the elderly who participate in our With Dignity and Fellowship program, which provides elderly with monthly prepared meals or food cards, medications, home visits, and emergency funds for basic needs.
The young volunteers distributed picnic coolers filled with bananas, mangoes, and dried goods to the elderly, making sure they stay nourished this summer. But more than the gift of food, the elderly enjoyed the gift of the volunteers’ company, and many shared their personal life stories with the youth volunteers.
One With Dignity and Fellowship participant shared how he had contributed to the state of Israel by taking part in a number of the wars that shaped both the Holy Land.
Another elderly person told about her decision as a young girl to leave her family and make aliyah (immigrate to Israel).
Both the volunteers and elderly enjoyed their time together, bonding and learning more about one another. They already have plans for another volunteer outing for the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah this fall!