Residents of the Sussex Jewish community came together last week to celebrate 25 years of local Jewish support network Helping Hands.
The garden party brought together people from across the community, many with a personal connection to the charity, having helped or been helped by the network since its inception in 2001.
Guests enjoying the celebration (photo: Paul Grant)[Missing Credit]
Volunteers, without whom cofounders Sarah Wilks and Liz Shaw emphasise the organisation would not exist, are assigned a wide range of tasks relating to the daily lives of members of the Jewish community in Sussex.
They vary in nature and size, and common examples include befriending, driving, meals in emergencies, hospital visits, bereavement support, student hospitality, and basic DIY.
The organisation also hosts recurring community initiatives such as monthly soup runs, café meetups, and home teas.
Sarah and Liz have known each other for more than four decades, meeting serendipitously when Sarah was the nursery teacher for Liz’s son and Liz was the youth group leader for Sarah’s children.
Cofounders Sarah Wilks (left) and Liz Shaw (photo: Paul Grant)[Missing Credit]
Interviewed by the JC in April, Sarah shared her immense pride at “the thousands upon thousands whom we’ve helped and the relationships formed between volunteers and clients”.
Liz added that the benefits are mutual, as she has “learnt how much our volunteers benefit as well as the clients”.
To find out more about Helping Hands, click here.
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