Nourishment for Heart and Soul

To the Jewish Family Service community,

My family does not live in Seattle; we live a few hours away across the water. But we found out months ago that we would need to spend up to two months in Seattle for my husband to get treatment for cancer at Fred Hutchinson. Our lives have been turned upside down as we have set everything aside and left our home to live in a hotel next to the hospital. We have a strong network of family and friends in Port Townsend, and they have buoyed us emotionally as we navigate this challenging time. But the logistics of life as we go through this treatment have fallen to just my husband and me, and occasionally our young adult children.

When our youngest daughter, who is a student at UW, told us about a network of Jewish families who will bring meals to us at the hotel, I was astounded and honestly a bit nervous about it. I’m not very good at receiving help and thought I should be able to handle all the meals myself. Luckily, our daughter persisted and set us up for two meals a week. When I say that these meals have been a lifesaver, I am not exaggerating. Not only did people reliably bring beautiful meals to us, but we have gotten heartfelt cards with each meal and even a loaf of challah for Shabbat! Each time we received a meal, we felt the good loving energy of the family who made it for us, and the loneliness and isolation of aggressive cancer treatment eases.

Thank you to everyone who is involved with these meals, and please know that the love and effort you put into them is received with deep gratitude. These meals do not just nourish our bodies; they nourish our hearts and souls as well.

Kathryn Molotsky

Kathryn and her family received support through the JFS Mitzvah Meals for Medical Visitors program, which coordinates volunteers to provide weekly meals to Jewish individuals and families temporarily staying in Seattle for medical care. Thank you to Kathryn for writing about her experience. To learn more, get involved as a volunteer, or request help, view our flyer or email us at mitzvahmeals@jfsseattle.org.