Posted on May 11, 2020
Back in early February, the Karsh Center staff team prepared to begin our regular weekly meetings focused on our second annual community Mother’s Day & Caretakers Celebration. Back in 2019, our first Celebration welcomed a beautiful community of families into the Karsh Center for a day focused on self-care and wellness for those caretakers who so frequently put the needs of their loved ones ahead of themselves. We couldn’t wait for this year’s event.
And then of course, like with so many things, the switch flipped and our event plans came to a screeching halt.
We know that amidst this pandemic, caretakers’ shoulders are carrying more weight than ever. Concerns over the health of loved ones, childcare, food insecurity, housing and job instability are weighing on our clients, and it’s understandable that self-care could be deemed less than “essential.” As stress and uncertainty stretch and push families in unprecedented ways, it felt more important than ever to the Karsh Center that even without the Mother’s Day Celebration field day, we find ways to honor and celebrate the caretakers in our community.
A client carrying a special Mother’s Day “pampering bag”, donated by the Wilshire Boulevard Temple Religious School.
Thanks to our collaboration with Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s Religious School, we were still able to offer the moms and caretakers we serve something special to celebrate them. Back at the beginning of March — just in time — Religious School students used their Purim with a Purpose event to assemble hundreds of goodie bags to share with our clients, including “pampering” bags that were intended to be given out at our Mother’s Day event. These lovely bags included things like sleep masks, lotions, soaps, and even a journal — items that will allow our clients to find small moments of self-care and respite. Last week, clients who came to the Karsh Center for their appointment to pick up grocery bags and diapers were delighted to receive this Mother’s Day gift as part of that appointment.
In addition to distributing those self-care bags, at our Mother’s Day Sunday Food Pantry staff gave each individual pantry client a “card making kit” with blank cards, stickers, crayons, and some sweet treats, to help individuals show some extra love to the caretakers in their lives. One of our Food Pantry Volunteer Coordinators brought long stem red and white roses surprised clients with a single rose along with their grocery bag.
Clients at our special Sunday Mother’s Day Food Pantry received “card-making kits” and roses donated by a volunteer coordinator.
Thank you to the Wilshire Boulevard Temple Religious School and volunteers for these remarkable pampering bags and helping to add something special to Mother’s Day for our clients this year!