A Taste of Home in Hard Times: What’s Inside a Shabbos in a Box

A Taste of Home in Hard Times: What's Inside a Shabbos in a Box

Shabbos is supposed to be a time of peace, rest, and family. But when a loved one is in the hospital, everything feels different. The familiar rhythms of home - setting the table, lighting candles, sitting down to a warm meal - seem impossibly far away. That is where Shabbos in a Box comes in. This signature Chesed 24/7 program delivers everything families need for hospital Shabbos meals and Shabbos observance, bringing a taste of home to hospital rooms across New York and New Jersey.

What Is Shabbos in a Box?

Shabbos in a Box is a complete Shabbos kit delivered to families spending Shabbos in the hospital. Each box contains everything needed to welcome and observe Shabbos - from candles and grape juice to challah and fully prepared meals. It is Jewish hospital support at its most thoughtful and practical.

The program recognizes that Shabbos does not stop because of a medical crisis. If anything, the comfort and structure of Shabbos become even more important during difficult times. A family keeping vigil at a bedside still deserves the sweetness of challah, the glow of candles, and the warmth of a proper Shabbos meal.

Chesed 24/7 prepares and delivers Shabbos in a Box kits to hospitals throughout the region every Friday, ensuring families can observe Shabbos with dignity no matter where they are.

What's Inside a Shabbos in a Box?

Every Shabbos kit is thoughtfully prepared to help patients and families observe Shabbos or Yom Tov in the hospital with dignity, comfort, and peace of mind. While meals are provided separately as warm or refrigerated food through Chesed 24/7’s meal service (along with fresh challah), the Shabbos in a Box contains all the essential non-food items needed to create a meaningful Shabbos experience.

A typical Shabbos in a Box includes:

• A decorated disposable tablecloth, adding a festive touch to the hospital table
• Hospital-approved candles
• A small bottle of grape juice
• A challah cover for Shabbos or Yom Tov
• A Kiddush cup (becher)
• Besamim for Havdalah
• A small vase with a flower, bringing warmth and beauty into the hospital room
• Candies and chocolate
• A personal card for the patient

These kits reflect Chesed 24/7’s deep commitment to providing not only practical support, but also emotional and spiritual care  -  helping patients and their families experience a calmer, more dignified Shabbos or Yom Tov, even during a hospital stay.

Shabbos in a Box kits are kept in the Chesed 24/7 rooms within participating hospitals and are easily accessible. Patients and families may also request a Shabbos in a Box when calling Chesed 24/7 to arrange their meals.

Why Shabbos in a Box Matters

Spending Shabbos in a hospital is disorienting. The normal cues of time - sunset, candle lighting, the start of the seudah - blur into the constant buzz of medical care. Shabbos in a Box restores those markers, giving families a sense of normalcy in an abnormal situation.

Spiritual Comfort

For observant families, keeping Shabbos is not optional - it is essential. The ability to light candles, make kiddush, and eat a proper Shabbos meal provides deep spiritual comfort during a medical crisis. It is a reminder that even in difficult times, Hashem is present and Shabbos brings blessing.

Emotional Nourishment

Hospital stays can feel cold and disorienting, especially over Shabbos or Yom Tov. While meals are provided separately through Chesed 24/7’s warm or refrigerated food service, the Shabbos in a Box brings something just as essential: familiarity, dignity, and a sense of home. Setting the table, lighting candles, making Kiddush, and seeing thoughtful details prepared just for them often becomes the first moment families feel truly cared for since arriving at the hospital.

Practical Relief

When you are focused on a loved one's health, thinking about food is the last thing you want to do. Shabbos in a Box removes that burden. Everything arrives prepared and ready - no shopping, no cooking, no worrying about where to find kosher food.

Family Togetherness

Even in a hospital room, families can sit together for a Shabbos meal. Children can hear kiddush. Spouses can share challah. These moments of normalcy strengthen families during the hardest times.

Who Receives Shabbos in a Box?

Shabbos in a Box is available to any Jewish family spending Shabbos at a hospital where Chesed 24/7 operates. This includes:

• Patients who will be hospitalized over Shabbos
• Family members staying at a patient's bedside
• Parents of hospitalized children
• Spouses supporting partners through treatment
• Out-of-town families who traveled for specialized care
• Families staying at Chesed Apartments near hospitals

There is no cost for Shabbos in a Box. The program is fully funded by donors who understand the importance of Jewish hospital support during vulnerable moments.

How to Request Shabbos in a Box

Requesting a Shabbos in a Box is simple and designed to accommodate both planned and last-minute needs.

To request in advance:

1. Call Chesed 24/7 at 845-354-3233

2. Provide the hospital name and room number where delivery should be made

3. Indicate family size so appropriate amounts can be prepared

4. Receive your delivery on Friday before Shabbos

Requests should ideally be made by Thursday evening to allow sufficient preparation time.

For urgent or last-minute situations, Shabbos in a Box kits are also kept stocked in the Chesed 24/7 rooms within participating hospitals and may be accessed as needed. Even if it’s close to Shabbos, Chesed 24/7 will always do everything possible to help.

Need Shabbos in a Box? Call 845-354-3233, preferably by Thursday evening.

Where Shabbos in a Box Is Delivered

Shabbos in a Box is delivered to hospitals throughout Chesed 24/7's service area:

Manhattan

Columbia Presbyterian (Milstein, Children's, Allen), Mount Sinai, Memorial Sloan Kettering, NY Cornell, Hospital for Special Surgery, Lenox Hill, and more

Brooklyn, Bronx, and Queens

NYP Methodist Brooklyn, Montefiore, Albert Einstein, NYP Queens, and other area hospitals

Rockland County and Westchester

Good Samaritan Suffern, Northern Westchester, Nyack Hospital

New Jersey

Hackensack Medical Center, Valley Hospital Paramus, Englewood Hospital, Overlook Summit, Trinitas Elizabeth

Catskills

Catskill Regional (Harris Hospital), Ellenville Hospital

If your hospital is not listed, call Chesed 24/7 anyway. We’ll do our best to arrange delivery or connect you with hospital Yom Tov meals resources in your area.

Stories From Families Who Received Shabbos in a Box

"When the box arrived, I started crying. Not from sadness - from relief. Someone remembered us. Someone made sure we could have Shabbos even here. That meant everything."

"My son asked if we could still have Shabbos in the hospital. When I showed him the challah and candles in the box, his face lit up. We sang zemiros in the hospital room that night."

"The food was better than I expected - real heimishe cooking, not institutional stuff. It tasted like my mother's kitchen. I cannot explain how much that mattered."

Yom Tov Support

In addition to weekly Shabbos in a Box deliveries, Chesed 24/7 provides special hospital Yom Tov meals and support for Jewish holidays:

• Rosh Hashanah – Complete Yom Tov meals with honey, apples, and simanim
• Yom Kippur – Pre-fast meals and break-fast packages
• Sukkos – Meals plus access to sukkahs on hospital grounds where available
• Chanukah – Menorahs, candles, and latkes
• Purim – Mishloach manos and festive treats
• Pesach – Complete Seder supplies and kosher-for-Pesach meals, plus room kashering assistance
• Shavuos – Dairy meals and cheesecake

For Yom Tov requests, contact Chesed 24/7 as early as possible to ensure availability.

How Shabbos in a Box Fits Into Chesed 24/7's Mission

Shabbos in a Box is one piece of Chesed 24/7's comprehensive support network for hospitalized families. Combined with Chesed Rooms for daily snacks, Hospital Meals delivered to patients' bedsides, Chesed Apartments for families who need to stay overnight, and the Hospital Shuttle for transportation, the program ensures families have everything they need - every day of the week, including Shabbos.

Every patient. Every need. Every day. That includes the most sacred day of all.

How You Can Support Shabbos in a Box

Sponsor a Shabbos Box

Cover the cost of a complete Shabbos kit for a family in need. Sponsorships can be made in honor of a simcha, in memory of a loved one, or as a zechus for someone's refuah.

Volunteer to Cook or Pack

Join the kitchen crew that prepares hospital Shabbos meals each week. Volunteers help cook, package, and organize deliveries.

Make a General Donation

All donations to Chesed 24/7 help support programs like Shabbos in a Box. Donate Now or call 845-354-3233.

Sponsor a Shabbos Box today!

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