Chesed 24/7 Honored at Annual NYC Jewish Heritage Reception at Gracie Square Mansion

On an unusually hot day in May 2025, amid the historic grandeur of Gracie Square Mansion overlooking the East River, Chesed 24/7 stood among the honorees at New York City's annual Jewish Heritage Reception, a moment of quiet recognition for an organization that spends every day and night working behind the scenes.

While families across Manhattan, Rockland, and beyond benefitted from Chesed 24/7 services, the organization was being acknowledged in front of city officials, communal leaders, and fellow nonprofits for something that had long been second nature: showing up when it matters most. This wasn't about applause: it was about visibility. It was about the city, and the broader Jewish community, looking directly at the work that keeps families fed, comforted, and connected during medical crises, and saying, plainly: this matters.

Chesed 24/7 Honored at Annual NYC Jewish Heritage Reception at Gracie Square Mansion

The NYC Jewish Heritage Reception at Gracie Square Mansion is a mayoral tradition, typically hosted each spring to honor individuals and organizations whose work strengthens the fabric of New York's Jewish community. The event brings together nonprofit leaders, elected officials, philanthropists, and communal advocates in the official residence of the Mayor of New York City, a stately Georgian manor that has served as a symbol of civic partnership since 1799.

For Chesed 24/7, the invitation to this year's reception carried particular weight. This was not a campaign event or a donor gala. It was a formal recognition from the city itself, naming the organization as a critical pillar of Jewish community infrastructure in New York.

Why was Chesed 24/7 honored? Because day after day, across 32 hospital hospitality rooms, a network of fully furnished apartments, fleets of wheelchair-accessible vehicles, and an operation sustained by more than 1,500 volunteers, we provide what families in crisis need most: continuity, dignity, and the feeling that they are not alone. Not just during business hours. Not just when it's convenient. But 24/7, including Shabbos, Yom Tov, and the middle of the night when every minute counts.

That impact was captured powerfully in remarks delivered by Mrs. Chavie Greenberg, Executive Director of Chesed 24/7, who highlighted what these hospitality rooms mean on the ground—moment by moment, family by family. She described them as calm, welcoming spaces in the midst of the hospital experience, open to anyone who needs a drink, a bite to eat, or a quiet place to rest their anxious minds. As she put it, “These little comforts can have a big impact.”

Mrs. Greenberg emphasized that the goal is not only practical support, but emotional steadiness. Families often arrive overwhelmed—physically depleted and mentally tense—and a stocked room, a hot drink, or simply a peaceful corner can help restore clarity. “People often come in feeling unsure when they’re hungry, thirsty, or stressed, but they leave feeling satisfied, calmer, and ready to take on what’s next,” she shared, underscoring how small comforts can help families regain the strength to continue advocating for their loved ones.

She closed her remarks with gratitude to city leadership, saying, “Thank you, Mayor Eric Adams, for your continued support of Chesed 24/7 and the broader Jewish community…,” noting that this ongoing partnership helps the organization continue its mission of serving “with warmth and dedication every hour of the day.”

The recognition at Gracie Square Mansion wasn't about a single campaign or milestone. It reflected years of work building an infrastructure that thousands of families now depend on, many of whom will never attend a reception or see their names in a program, but who will remember the warmth of a Shabbos meal in a sterile hospital corridor, or the relief of a clean bed in Manhattan when their child needed surgery.

Chesed 24/7's leadership attended the event with humility and gratitude. Our team knows that this honor doesn't belong to us alone, it belongs to the donors who keep apartments stocked, the volunteers who prepare thousands of meals each week, the drivers who navigate city traffic daily, and the families who trust us with their most vulnerable moments. The honor reflects their partnership, their generosity, and their unwavering belief in the power of chesed.

The Broader Significance of the NYC Jewish Heritage Reception

The annual NYC Jewish Heritage Reception serves as a platform to highlight the contributions of the Jewish community to New York City's social, cultural, and civic life. Honorees in past years have included educators, health professionals, advocates for vulnerable populations, and organizations addressing homelessness, mental health, and crisis intervention.

For Chesed 24/7 to be recognized alongside these leaders underscores a reality that city officials and communal stakeholders increasingly understand: the work of Chesed 24/7 fills gaps that no single hospital, insurance plan, or government agency can address on its own. We operate in a space where public services end and where private resources may not reach, yet where need is constant and urgent. That's why this recognition from the city matters. It validates the model we've built, and it signals to families across New York that when they face illness or injury, this infrastructure exists to support them.

What This Recognition Means for the Families We Serve

For the thousands of patients and caregivers who have stayed in our community-supported hospitality spaces, eaten our meals, borrowed our medical equipment, or received a Shabbos package in the hospital, this honor is a quiet affirmation: your needs matters deeply to the community and the city, and Chesed 24/7 will do whatever it takes to meet the demand.

Every week, families contact us with urgent needs:

• A mother traveling from Monsey to Manhattan for her son's surgery, unsure where she'll sleep or what she'll eat for the next five days.
• A husband keeping vigil at his wife's ICU bedside, needing kosher food and a few hours of rest without leaving the hospital.
• A family observing Shabbos in a children's hospital, asking for challah, candles, and grape juice so they can mark the day with dignity.
• An elderly patient discharged on a Sunday afternoon, needing a wheelchair until physical therapy begins the following week.

Our ability to respond to thousands of these calls, immediately, reliably, and with cultural sensitivity, is what this recognition reflects.

Community Impact Rooted in Operational Excellence

When city officials and Jewish leadership gathered at the reception, they acknowledged something that many outside the Orthodox community may not fully grasp: Chesed 24/7 is not a referral hotline or a volunteer coordination network. It is a full-scale operational system.

We maintain apartments year-round in Manhattan, stocked with linens, kitchen supplies, and kosher food. We run daily shuttle routes between Rockland County and NYC hospitals. We coordinate food deliveries to dozens of hospital rooms each week. We manage a lending library of medical equipment that families can access on short notice. We staff a 24/7 phone line so that when a family lands in an emergency room at 2 a.m., someone answers.

This level of infrastructure requires funding, coordination, professional oversight, and a donor base that understands the ongoing nature of the work. Recognizing Chesed 24/7 at this year's NYC Jewish Heritage Reception also meant recognizing the thousands of community members whose contributions, financial, logistical, and personal, make this system sustainable.

Honoring Partnerships That Make It Possible

At the reception, we were reminded that no chesed organization operates in isolation. Chesed 24/7 works closely with hospitals, community organizations, rabbinic leaders, schools, and local government to ensure that resources reach families efficiently and respectfully.

Hospitals across New York and New Jersey have opened their doors to our hospitality rooms, recognizing that patient outcomes improve when families are supported holistically. Schools and youth groups organize volunteer initiatives that teach the next generation the value of hands-on chesed. Donors step forward each year, through breakfasts, raffles, and quiet personal commitments, to ensure that services remain available to every family, regardless of their ability to pay.

The honor at Gracie Square Mansion was shared with all of them. It belonged to the anonymous sponsor who funds an apartment. To the volunteer who packs Shabbos boxes every Thursday. To the driver who adjusts his route to accommodate a family's tight schedule. To the hospital liaison who makes space for a hospitality room in a crowded building.

This recognition affirmed that when the Jewish community works together, across denominations, neighborhoods, and backgrounds, the impact is profound and measurable.

How This Fits Into Chesed 24/7's Larger Mission

The honor at the NYC Jewish Heritage Reception is a milestone, not a finish line. It reflects where we are, not where we're going.

Chesed 24/7's mission has always been rooted in one principle: every patient, every need, every day. That includes the family that called us last night and the family that will call tomorrow morning. It includes Shabbos support and weekday logistics. It includes emotional care and practical essentials.

We will continue to expand our network of hospitality rooms, maintain our apartments, coordinate transportation, prepare thousands of meals, and ensure that medicine chests remain stocked in communities where access is limited. We will keep our phone lines open around the clock, because medical emergencies do not respect business hours.

This recognition strengthens our ability to do that work with greater credibility, visibility, and communal trust. It reminds potential partners, donors, volunteers, hospitals, and civic leaders, that Chesed 24/7 is a reliable, professional, and deeply mission-driven organization.

How You Can Be Part of This Work

The honor at Gracie Square Mansion was a moment of recognition for what the community has already built. But it also serves as an invitation.

If you've been considering supporting Chesed 24/7's ongoing work, this is a meaningful time to step forward. Every service we provide is made possible through donor support. Hospitality rooms are stocked because individuals and families sponsor them. Apartments remain open because community members fund them. Meals are prepared because donors cover the cost of ingredients, packaging, and delivery.

Volunteering remains an option for those who wish to contribute hands-on support. Whether through food preparation, logistics assistance, or participation in community-driven initiatives, there are opportunities to be part of this mission in tangible ways.

And if you're a family facing a medical crisis right now, or if you know someone who is, please reach out. Call 845-354-3233, any time, day or night. That's why we're here.

A Recognition Rooted in Dignity, Service, and Community

Standing at Gracie Square Mansion in front of city officials, Jewish leaders, and partner organizations, Chesed 24/7 accepted this honor with the same spirit that guides every phone call we answer, every apartment we prepare, and every meal we deliver: with humility, gratitude, and an unshakable commitment to the families who need us.

This wasn't a celebration of prestige. It was a recognition of presence, our presence in hospitals across the region, in the lives of families navigating their hardest days, and in the heart of a community that believes no one should face illness alone.

The work continues. The phone keeps ringing. Families keep calling. And we keep answering.

That's the mission. That's the honor. And that's the commitment we carry forward, every single day.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NYC Jewish Heritage Reception at Gracie Square Mansion?

The NYC Jewish Heritage Reception is an annual mayoral event held at Gracie Square Mansion, the official residence of New York City's mayor. It honors individuals and organizations whose work strengthens the Jewish community's social, cultural, and civic contributions throughout New York City.

Why was Chesed 24/7 honored at the reception?

Chesed 24/7 was recognized for providing critical infrastructure supporting thousands of families during medical crises through 32 hospital hospitality rooms, furnished apartments, kosher meals, transportation services, and 24/7 availability including Shabbos and Yom Tov, all sustained by over 2,000 volunteers.

What services does Chesed 24/7 provide to families facing medical crises?

Chesed 24/7 offers hospital hospitality rooms, fully furnished Manhattan apartments, kosher meal delivery, wheelchair-accessible transportation, Shabbos packages, medical equipment lending, and a 24/7 helpline. All services are provided at no cost to families through community and donor support.

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