The Charlotte Jewish News- June- July 2026- Page 18
People You Know: Richard Goldsmith
By Elizabeth Johnson
By the time Richard Goldsmith reaches a client’ s front door, the delivery itself has almost become secondary. What lingers instead are the conversations: updates about grandchildren, memories of hometowns, frustrations shared candidly across a kitchen threshold, and the quiet familiarity that forms when someone continues to return.
In a world increasingly defined by speed and distance, Goldsmith has built something slower and more enduring through his volunteer work with Jewish Family Services( JFS). Week after week, he moves through Charlotte carrying pantry bags, but also offering something less tangible and perhaps equally necessary: presence.
For the clients he visits, the routine has become a touchpoint of consistency and care. For Goldsmith, it has become a reminder that community is often built not through grand gestures, but through small acts repeated faithfully over time.
You’ re not on staff at JFS. Yet, you’ re a beloved volunteer who delivers pantry items directly to clients. What first led you to get involved in this work? Before moving to Charlotte, I was living in Baltimore, Maryland. When I retired, I began volunteering for an organization called Weekend Backpacks Baltimore. Its mission is to support students in Baltimore facing food insecurity by providing weekly deliveries of nutritious, child-friendly food directly to their schools including breakfast, lunch and a bag to feed a family of three or four for a weekend.
When I moved to Charlotte, I learned about the Jewish Family Services( JFS) Food Pantry through my daughter, Megan Harkavy. Through its food pantry, JFS provides food, personal care items, and other essential necessities.
As demand continues to grow during these challenging times, the organization remains committed to supporting the community with care and consistency. Following my conversation with Megan, I contacted Roberta Rogers to offer my services and the rest is history.
You see people at a very personal moment, when you’ re bringing food directly to their homes. Can you share a moment that has stayed with you? Several clients motivate me to continue showing up. During one of my earlier visits to a particular gentleman, he noticed I was a Baltimore sports fan. Since then, with each delivery, he asks thoughtful questions about different Baltimore sports figures.
Richard Goldsmith and his grandson, Eli Harkavy
It’ s a small gesture, yet one that suggests he takes the time to prepare for our visits. And to me, this means more than he likely realizes. Another client always tells me about her family, and our visits often stretch to 15 or 30 minutes as we compare trips and talk about our upbringings.
With each visit, I leave with the same feeling: a deep sense of satisfaction, a renewed sense of purpose, and a lasting appreciation for the work itself.
Sometimes, your grandson joins you. How has that experience shaped the way he understands community and giving?
I have taken my grandson, Eli Harkavy, along on several deliveries when school is closed or summer camp is not in session. And he brings an even bigger smile to each client’ s face than I can! He genuinely looks forward to the visits, often asking when he can come again and checking in on specific clients weeks later.
After each visit, I remind him of the joy he brings in joining me and the mitzvah he is doing simply by showing up.
What have these visits taught you, not just about need, but about connection? Providing the meals is, of course, the purpose of each visit, but the connections we form extend far beyond that moment. I typically see the same clients, which has allowed me to build relationships with many of them.
Over time, I’ ve come to care deeply for each one. In many ways, I’ ve begun to think of them as an extension of my family. I look forward to our visits and hope they feel the same.
For someone who may be considering volunteering but isn’ t sure where to start, what would you say to them? If you’ re looking for a Jewish connection, I would start with JFS
or Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte( JFGC). Beyond pantry support, JFS alone offers countless opportunities for volunteers.
Whatever organization you feel drawn to, the best first step is simply to reach out and ask where help is needed. At the end of the day, this work is deeply humbling. I often feel that I receive far more from these visits than I give.
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