Sending a handmade card is a wonderful way to connect with our homebound older adult clients. In the past, this generation primarily communicated through handwritten notes and letters, so your personally written message will be particularly meaningful.

Card Making Directions

1. Create your own handmade card on cardstock (not printer or construction paper) or use a store-bought card.

2. Please provide envelopes but please leave the cards out of their envelopes. We need to read each card before sending them out, and this makes the process much quicker.

3. Write a warm or cheerful message on the inside of the card.

4. Sign your first name (if the card-maker is a child, they can write their age in parentheses). If you are writing on behalf of a school or organization, you can write that too.

5. Under your name, please write, “Made for you by a volunteer of JF&CS.”

6. Please don’t refer to a season/date/holiday. If you don’t refer to the flowers coming up in spring, for instance, it gives us the flexibility to send your card at any time. We will be doing this project for a while.

7. Please do not write in cursive. Many of our cards are going to people who read English as a second language and are not able to read cursive.

8. Here are some suggestions for your message:

• Wishing you moments of happiness and delight. I hope your day is peaceful and bright.
• I hope you know that you are being thought about by so many people in our community.
• Someone remembers, someone cares. Your name is whispered in someone’s prayers.
• I just wanted to send some happy thoughts your way.
• Sending caring thoughts and warm wishes your way.
• Thinking of you and saying hi. I hope you are hanging in there!
• We are thinking of you and sending big smiles.
• A bunch of smiles and a little note to tell you that I am thinking of you.
• I hope you are surrounded by peace and good health.
• I wanted you to know that you are in my heart, hoping that your day is serene and full of peaceful moments.
• Wishing you smiles and lots of sweet thoughts.
• Not a day goes by that you aren’t thought of and wished well.
• Sending you the brightest wishes to say, I hope you are doing well.
• I hope this card brings a little sunshine to your day. You’re being thought of by your friends who think the world of you.

Or feel free to write your own cheerful or warm message!

NOTE: If you are proficient in Russian, we would love to receive cards written in Russian, as we have many Russian-speaking clients.

Delivering Your Cards to JF&CS

We have several options for delivering the cards. Whichever method you choose, please provide your email address so we can easily communicate with you.

1. Mail the cards in a larger envelope or box to:

Ava Harder
Manager, Volunteer Services
JF&CS
1430 Main Street
Waltham, MA 02451

2. Drop off your cards at JF&CS Headquarters (1430 Main Street, Waltham). Drop-offs can occur Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Ava Harder's name must be on the package.

3. If you have created a large number of cards and are not able to send them to JF&CS Headquarters, please contact Ava Harder (aharder@jfcsboston.org or 781-693-5007) to arrange a mutually convenient location for in-person drop-off.

Please remember to leave cards out of their matching envelopes. If you have any questions, please contact Ava Harder at aharder@jfcsboston.org or 781-693-5007. Thank you so much for making cards for our clients — it means so much to them!