Our Impact

One year after I lost my wife to cancer, I contacted Goodman JFS. My children woke up to find an eviction notice posted on our front door. I explained that the family had exhausted all of our savings and retirement funds trying to keep up with medical bills. I had just begun a new job, but for this month, I did not have enough money to pay rent.

Our case manager was able to make arrangements to pay the landlord as quickly as possible and avoid eviction. Additionally, the family was offered counseling to deal with our on-going grief from our loss. A referral was made to the Dorit & Ben J. Genet Cupboard to supplement a tight food budget, and GJFS made sure the children had a wonderful Chanukah by giving me gift cards so I could have the pleasure of shopping for my children.

One of our volunteers who makes monthly food deliveries to a homebound elderly couple, noticed that the husband was now confined to a hospital bed. He learned that the man now needs a walker, which he did not own, so he was unable to move around the home by himself. The volunteer promptly reported this to the Dorit & Ben J. Genet Cupboard staff, who turned to our Community and Senior Services program and we worked together to supply him with a walker within 48 hours. The senior is no longer confined to his bed. He is happy to be able to move around his home and go outside without fear of falling. He is getting much needed exercise again and is able to regain some independence.

On a monthly basis, the Dorit & Ben J. Genet Cupboard calls the daughter of a client to obtain her mother’s grocery needs. After the client received her delivery, her daughter, who lives in New Jersey, called to thank us. She said, “without the DBJG Cupboard, her mother would have nothing and because she lives so far away she is beyond grateful for our work.”

A 78-year-old client contacted Goodman JFS in tears because his electricity was disconnected just after being released from the hospital. Other agencies in the community that he contacted required that he come into their locations but that was difficult because he is in a wheelchair, living alone, with no immediate means of transportation. Imagine food spoiling in the fridge, medication unable to be cooled and no AC. The situation could have easily gone from bad to worse.

Because GJFS is a community partner with FPL, our care manager contacted them immediately and was able to get the electricity restored within one hour!