I’m a businessman. Thank G-d, I always have money in my pocket. I could easily buy myself lunch whenever I like. But this isn’t about a tuna fish sandwich. It’s not about lunch. It’s about caring. It’s about being there when someone else needs you. It’s about the little things like an attractive garnish on an already delicious hot meal that says: “We’re here for you. We’re connected.” 
The eyes of Mr. Gold, a veteran entrepreneur, filled with tears. In a choked voice, he continued, “My mother is in the hospital. My father is elderly and has many needs. I have a wife and kids that need me and my business doesn’t stop because of family difficulties. All day I run from the hospital to business meetings and then to my father, who is lonely without my mother and doesn’t understand why I can’t sit and talk for hours. My son needed my help with schoolwork. While we were working, the phone rang. The hospital needed me to fill out some forms. My wife didn’t ask me to pick up milk but I knew we needed some so I stopped off on the way back. When I got back, my son was in tears, trying to work on his own. There was a message on my cell phone from my father. He needed a light bulb changed. It couldn’t wait till tomorrow. 
It would be dangerous for him to be walking around in the dark. And it was my turn to spend the night with my mother at the hospital.”
“At twelve, I was settled on the hospital lounge chair for whatever sleep I could get. And then an angel appeared. He was a Lottie’s Kitchen volunteer. He had just finished delivering sandwiches and snacks to families waiting at the Emergency Room. He had some extra and stopped off at my mother’s room to see if I could use something. All day and most of the night, I had been giving. And here was someone giving to me! It meant everything. It gave me the power to go on. He would be there tomorrow, he promised, with a hot meal for me when I come in the afternoon. Every day as long as I needed. It became the bright spot in my days. I had been running on empty. A bag of chips while driving to the hospital, a coke from the machine, a hard boiled egg eaten on the run.
Sometimes a meal after twelve when I would fall into bed. Usually I would be too tired to eat. The warmth and compassion that accompanied that very tasty and attractively set up meal from Lottie’s Kitchen would last long after the last forkful of roast chicken had been digested.”
Founded in memory of Haim and Lottie Chalom by their daughters, Lottie’s Kitchen, one of Ezer Mizon’s Food Distribution Service Centers, provides over 4,000 hot meals and snacks every week to the exhausted family members dealing with serious illness or disability. At times important medical decisions must be made, a patient may be in need of physical care and an anxious child, sensing the tension, may be desperate for emotional support. The caretaker, the pillar of that support, has not stopped for a moment to care for him/her self. A mother of school children whose husband is grappling with cancer, the parents of a baby battling leukemia, or a devoted son spending the last weeks with his hospitalized mother—so many have said that the Lottie’s Kitchen meals, accompanied by the caring smile and knowledgeable advice of the Ezer Mizion volunteer delivering them, has been a lifeline to hold onto when a
ll else had fallen apart.
When the crisis ends, the thank you’s pour in.
At times, this was the only real food we ate all day!…
I am in the midst of supporting my spouse in his battle with cancer. Every day, I have the opportunity to observe your special dedication…
I cannot find sufficient words to describe the joy my children and I felt when each such delivery arrived at our door. We tangibly sensed the love and devotion in the way the food was packed up – so hygienic and esthetic…
When the family members of a sick person are running around, confused, in pain, and worried, they totally ignore their daily needs. And then you appear, as if with a magic wand…
To whom are these thank you’s directed?
It’s to volunteers and all of you— caring Lottie’s Kitchen supporters – whose generosity has over the years provided the funds for this crucial need.
This year’s Lottie’s Kitchen Event will be held at the home of Monique and David Haddad in Elberon, NJ on July 11th and promises to top them all. For further info, call 718 853 8400. Looking forward to sharing a fantastic day with you. Wednesday, July 11…See you there!
