On Erev Shabbos Chanukah, Yad V’Yad gifted a number of children living in Lakewood with a $25 Chanukah gelt visa card. The children who received these TD visa cards have recently experienced the loss of a parent.

“We at Yad V’Yad see first-hand the difficulties our yisomim are challenged with,” said a Yad V’yad staffer who oversees this project. “We celebrate Chanukah handing out Chanukah gelt to our children. How can we not include our yisomim?” Yad V’Yad volunteers discussed this predicament with community philanthropists and enlisted anonymous donors to sponsor this program.

The children, range in ages from 2 to 20. In addition to distributing the visa cards in Lakewood, other yisomim in the tri-state region including Brooklyn, Monsey and Monroe were also gifted. Each visa card was accompanied by a personalized note of attention and warmth. Yad V’Yad plans to initiate many more similar events and programs for the orphaned children in the coming months.

“I’m just so happy for my kids, who are thrilled to get such a thoughtful gift! It really brightened up our Chanukah,” a mother wrote to Yad V’Yad after receiving the cards in the mail. One young boy who lost his mother only a few months ago emailed the following to Yad V’Yad: “Thanks so much for sending the gift cards. My birthday was a few days ago, so I will give you a brocho that you shall first of all never ever have to go through such a tragedy, and second you should keep helping people, because even if you don’t realize it, really it is amazing, the work you do.”

Yad V’Yad, a subsidiary of Misaskim, was launched to provide support for the yisomim in our communities. The organization is uniquely positioned to asses the needs of children who have experienced the loss of a parent and to provide support services. Yad V’Yad works in conjunction with other organizations that oversee specific programs relevant to this cause.