A few years ago, a friend of the family made a kiddush in a Flatbush shul on Shabbos after davening.
I didn’t daven in that shul, so my wife and I headed over there without my first making Kiddush at home.
When we got there we were told that another family member had slipped and fallen, and was take to Maimonides by ambulance.
We walked to the hospital to check on our relative, and be mevakair cholim. It was a long walk, on a cold winter day, in Shabbos shoes that were less-than-ideally suited for a multi-mile stroll. When we got there we found that although there had been a couple of bones fractured in the fall, B”H there was no major damage.
We were now stuck miles from home in the waiting room on Shabbos afternoon, not having made Kiddush, let alone had a chance for a seuda.
We noticed a young chasidishe man who was going in and out of the waiting room.
After a couple of minutes, he approached us and asked if we had had a chance to eat.
When we told him why we were there, he took us himself thru a maze of corridors to a “bikur cholim room” where we had grape juice for Kiddush, lechem mishna hamotzi, hot chicken, kugel and cholent for a seuda, etc.
It made a night-and-day difference in how we felt, and we were extremely appreciative.
We found out that the organization that does this is “Yad Ephraim”.
On a different occasion my wife had to stay in Maimonides over Shabbos, B”H for the best reason there can be for such a stay.
When I visited her on Shabbos day, she told me how the Yad Ephraim crew had been so busy and well-organized, “swarming” all over the floor, giving out liechter (electric – it is a hospital) before Shabbos, grape juice, challah, chicken soup, chicken, and “alleh gutte zachin” – definitely not standard hospital food.
I believe those who participate are unpaid volunteers.
The hakoras hatov that we and many others have towards them is tremendous.
They are providing a great service to those who really need it.
There are innumerable chesed organizations - this is just an expression of thanks to one that has helped up personally.
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