Ten years after her passing, Judith Shaffert’s daughter and son-in-law, Robin Shaffert and Dean Brenner, have honored Judy’s commitment to serving seniors with a major gift of stock to benefit food bank participants in the Capital Area Food Bank’s Sr. Brown Bag program. This astonishing gift in her memory will provide a full-year of healthy and nutritious food for 5,200 vulnerable seniors.
Long time Washington area residents and CAFB donors, Robin and Dean, surprised the food bank with a call to Individual Giving Director Claudia Morris, who was already well-acquainted with their generous spirit and support of the food bank over the years. Robin and Dean chose Sr. Brown Bag as being the food bank program most closely aligned with Robin’s mother’s legacy of service to Washington area’s seniors.
Judy Shaffert’s story embodies the American Dream. Born in New York City to Jewish parents who emigrated from Poland, Judith grew up living over their grocery store in a working class neighborhood. She embraced her parents’ values and work ethic and worked her way through college, graduating from NYU with a B.A. in Social Work. She and her husband first made their home in Alexandria, VA while he was stationed at Ft. Belvoir and she worked at the Barney Neighborhood House. After getting her children off to a good start, Judy got her M.S.W. in Clinical Social Work from Catholic University.
For twenty years, Mrs. Shaffert worked at the Jewish Council for the Aging, founding and directing many initiative to improve the lives of seniors. During that time, Judy’s inventiveness and determination strengthened programs to improve housing, employment, counseling, nutrition, and social, intellectual and recreational opportunities that nourish the spirit. She retired as Assistant Executive Director in 1993.
With this legacy gift through her daughter and son-in-law, Judy again touches the lives of seniors, about whom she cared so much in life, with nourishing food that brightens the day for older men and women in the greater Washington area.
This gift is unusual in size, but not in heart. The Capital Area Food Bank is very fortunate in the number of gifts and donations from many Washingtonians who feel as we do; that concern and care for our entire community is the only way to live our days as a neighbors.