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Holidays
Chris Stewart/Staff photographer
Joan Marcus (left) kisses Dorothy Shane after delivering a "Holiday in a Box" to Shane, a resident of One Lincoln Park in Kettering. About 85 of the boxes were delivered to seniors across the area by the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton.
‘Holiday in a Box’ brightens Hanukkah for local seniors
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Volunteers deliver 85 boxes filled with cookies, tea, gelt.
By Meredith Moss,
Staff Writer
Updated 1:40 AM Friday, December 11, 2009
KETTERING —The idea is to deliver a “holiday in a box.”
“Hanukkah is the festival of light, and we’re trying to bring light into our seniors’ homes,” says Deva Zwelling, assistant executive vice president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton. “The older people get, the harder it may be for them to get out to our communal activities. We want to keep them connected, so we bring the holiday to them.”
The festive eight-day holiday, which begins tonight, Dec. 11, at sundown with the lighting of the menorah, celebrates religious freedom. An additional candle is lit each night until all eight are burning.
A group of volunteers assemble the colorful boxes, filling them with an assortment of Hanukkah goodies including cookies, tea and chocolate coins known as “gelt.”
This week, they’ve been delivering the treats to 85 Jewish seniors throughout the Miami Valley. Boxes are delivered for other Jewish holidays as well.
“It’s as much about the personal visit as the box,” said Marilyn Klaben, volunteer chair of the Jewish Senior Service Agency.
The project is a collaborative effort: Students from Hillel Academy make cards for each recipient; kids from the Jewish Center preschool decorate each box; and local synagogues and Chabad are co-sponsors.
Klaben said phone calls and notes of appreciation always follow the holiday deliveries.
“Personally, I have a very limited family,” wrote one grateful recipient. “It means a great deal to this 87-year old to be remembered.”
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11:37 AM, 12/11/2009
--A Christian
9:53 AM, 12/11/2009