A spring in my step

MICHAEL SIEFF

With only three weeks between now and Rosh Hashanah I am reminded about how fortunate the Jewish community is in South Africa that our new year arrives with the promise of summer, in a season of rebirth and renewal. A feeling of hope, confidence and optimism surrounds us and the coming year already feels blessed.

As I walk from my office at the Donald Gordon Centre up the parking ramp to Sandringham Gardens, the beautiful newly-renovated dining room and Nosh Bar come into focus and add to the sense of revival.

Our residents have been relocated to a temporary venue for meals for the past several months while the entire area – including the bathrooms and freshly landscaped gardens – were redesigned.

The look is fresh and modern. All the furniture has been replaced, the room has been extended and two serving stations facilitate efficiency. It will be ready to receive residents in time for Rosh Hashanah. I’m excited for them!

As I get closer to the kitchens, the delicious scent of cooking becomes evident. Our chefs are preparing lunch. Do you know that the Sandringham Gardens kitchens prepare 75 000 meals each month – around 2 500 per day – just for residents at this home and at allied Chev residential facilities?

That does not include the meals that are prepared daily for government hospitals, mental health institutions, the food parcels we supply and the support we provide to other organisations.

At this special time of year, leading up to Rosh Hashanah, families make a concerted effort to drop in on their loved ones at Sandringham Gardens.

When you visit, I urge you to take a small detour to the new dining room area to see for yourself how wonderful it is. Step by step this residential facility is being renovated and revived to make it a more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing place to call home.

Everything about this day feels positive and I have high hopes that the year ahead will be filled with the blessings of good health, peace and happiness for all of us.

Shana tova u’metukah!

May our partnership continue to thrive – feedback@jhbchev.co.za