[COMMUNICATED] The joy is palpable as Pesach preparations reach a frenzied peak: food is purchased, homes cleaned and families outfitted in honor of Yom Tov. But for many families in our midst, this would-be exciting time only exacerbates the suffering they experience all year long, and the joy and anticipation of Yom Tov never quite reaches their home.
The families we at Chesed of Lakewood assist are beset by burdens too difficult to fathom, which are always compounded by extreme financial need. When it comes to Yom Tov, they cannot afford Yom Tov basics, things we all take for granted. They don’t join the multitudes scouring the stores for that perfect Yom Tov ensemble, because there is no money for clothing.
At Chesed of Lakewood we set out to alleviate the struggle, to help our families regain their dignity and self-respect. Our Dress Your Best Program does just that, helping families in need purchase clothing for Yom Tov. Since its inception, the program has helped hundreds of suffering families.
This year again, the calls are pouring into our office and we cannot keep up with the demand. We can’t bear to turn anyone away, not when we see their tears and hear their cries, and so we turn to you, in the hopes that you will help these families feel the joy of Yom Tov too.
These are all cases of desperate need. These are children who are embarrassed to go to school because their parents have no money to outfit them properly; they’re embarrassed to go to shul on Shabbos or Yom Tov because they are wearing clothing so shabby that their peers wouldn’t ever wear on a weekday, let alone Yom Tov.
We’re talking about people who are lacking necessities, people desperate for any bit of help we can offer them.
Please help us help our families with basic Yom Tov expenses and with the clothing they need to hold their head up high in shul this chag and to experience joy in their homes for the first time in a very long while. Please help us ensure that we are not forced to turn away even a single truly needy family. In the zechus of your support, may you always be blessed with plenty and may you never know even a fraction of the suffering these families live with every day.
Our program is endorsed by leading American gedolim Harav Malkiel Kotler, Harav Yeruchem Olshin and Harav Elya Ber Wachtfogel.
Donations are tax deductible.
Thank You!
The Dress Your Best team
at Chesed of Lakewood