Delivering help and hope

Several months ago, our JFS Aging Caring and Connections (ACC) team learned that we would receive funds from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany to distribute grocery store gift cards to local Holocaust survivors. What happened next was nothing short of a meaningful experience. 

The Claims Conference identified recipients from Boulder to Colorado Springs. Some individuals are JFS clients in our Holocaust Survivors’ Assistance program, while others are not, but all make less than $15,565 annually. 

Our ACC team purchased 198 King Soopers gift cards for recipients to spend on food and other essentials. 

Thanks to our dedicated staff, volunteers, and Board members—some of whom even brought family members along to help—each gift card was hand-delivered to very appreciative and grateful participants. For those not familiar with JFS, this was a great opportunity to introduce them to the agency and our programs and services to support them and their families. 

“What began as a simple act of delivering gift cards for food became a deeply moving exchange,” said JFS Board Chair Carl Rossow. “Sharing this experience with my mother made it even more meaningful. As Holocaust survivors opened their homes to us, they shared stories of survival alongside photos of children and grandchildren who represent resilience, continuity, and hope. It was a powerful reminder that despite unimaginable loss, these families endured, and the generations have truly thrived.” 

Bringing joy to local Holocaust survivors was a truly heartfelt moment, especially in challenging and uncertain times when unexpected goodness is most needed.