09/19/2025
My name is Benjamin. My wife and I have a non-profit called the Whole House of Israel. We started this about 20 plus years ago. In that time, we have used the Shabbat, our resources, and time to help those less fortunate or in need. We do this as a way to give back for all the blessings that have been bestowed upon our family.
We are both currently unemployed and have decided for the last six months to step up our efforts to help those in need; specifically, the homeless in the Kansas City Metro area. It has been a blessing to us, but it has been frustrating too.
Our non-profit consist of myself, my wife, and sometimes our five kids. We collect food and other resources and distribute them on the Shabbat. This includes clothing, personal items, dog supplies, ice and water, and food. We sometimes treat minor medical conditions (I was a Wilderness Instructor and hold a current Wildlife First Responder Certification which means basic first aid and CPR); sometimes we make sure those without transportation have a ride to the hospital or emergency room as needed.
I mentioned it is very rewarding for us, but frustrating because there is a bigger need than we can meet both financially and physically. There are always more people to help, but we do the best we can with very limited resources. We are unemployed which means we have the time resource to gather provisions and help those with transportation needs; but we do not always have enough funds to do what needs to be done. Additionally, the places we go put stress on our personal vehicles. We have had to replace tires at $300 a pop because the places we go have lots of glass and nails, but we have to go where the people are. Second, our main vehicle, a 7 passenger SUV which we used to haul supplies and sometimes a trailer, just started acting up, and we do not have the resources to fix it (in the last four months we spent our last $3000 on that same vehicle, and it is still acting up).
We do a lot with very little. Each weekend, We usually distribute ice and water (to include passing out coolers) to around 20 to 40 people in 16 ounce, 1 gallon, 2.5 gallon, and 5 gallon containers. We make sandwiches, chips and snacks for about 20 to 30 people, and hand out another 30 or so snack bags. We also deliver food and water for those homeless that have pets when we can.
Because we lost our main vehicle, it has limited what we can do, but we still deliver with a much smaller vehicle. It has become hard for us to keep up with the need, we get a few donations, but we usually have to spend between $50 to $80 of personal funds to accomplish the mission. This might seem like a small amount and it is, but remember we are unemployed and have no permanent income source at the moment.
To make a long story short, we are not asking for resources for ourselves or our situation, we are making it; we are asking if anyone is led to help with resources for the homeless and less fortunate in the Kansas City metro. 100% of all donations will go to the mission to feed, cloth, and make sure the homeless and needy get basic resources and necessities. We go to around three to four homeless camps each week and help an average of 30 to 50 people and several pets. All funds go toward food, clothing, and other resources for the homeless; not my family.
If you feel led to help send me a Facebook message, and we would be glad for any amount of funding; even if it's a few dollars. We can make a few dollars help 20 people. I will put a link in the comments to a YouTube video posted recently on another organizations page that gives us resources which will give you an idea of who we are. Also, I will post a few pictures in the comments of some of the conditions at the homeless camps.
A lot of the people we help have nothing but a backpack and the clothes on their back. These are the lowest of the needy. They sleep outside on the ground, in tents, in home made shelters or where ever they are when they are tired. Thank you for reading this post, and if you can not help with resources; prayer is the biggest resource we need and would appreciate your efforts and thoughts. Thanks for reading and have a blessed day.
Benjamin West
