At 65 and 73, William Dority and Margaret Babonis represent seniors, the fastest growing cohort of people experiencing homelessness in the United States. And it’s why the Judeo-Christian Outreach Center in Virginia Beach was able to secure a grant from Beth Sholom Village to help feed this vulnerable population, something the non-profit does 365 nights a year.
“We don’t receive government assistance for hunger relief,” says Todd Walker, whose name graces JCOC’s dining hall. “We depend on the community so the money from Beth Sholom was a godsend.”
For Dority and Babonis, this was the only meal they would eat this October day. “Right now we’re living on the street,” says Dority, who ironically was a chef in various commercial kitchens, including at the former Pavillion, Broad Bay Point Country Club, and Chicks off Shore Drive. Babonis worked on flight lines fueling aircraft, but both suffered disabling injuries. “Then two years ago,” says Babonis, “my 49-year-old son, who supported me, was killed in a car accident.”
The loss of a housing voucher cost the co-dependent couple their apartment. “Between Social Security and other retirement funds, we can pay rent, but we need money to get into a decent place and don’t have it.” JCOC didn’t have a unit for them so the pair would leave the facility this night and sleep wherever they could find a wall near the oceanfront to block the wind. “We’re going to help them find a safe place,” says Walker, a former Indiana University football standout. “I don’t call people like them homeless. They are individuals experiencing homelessness. It can happen to almost anybody due to illness, family issues, layoffs, you name it. We’re here for them.”
The beauty of JCOC, which opened a 38-room affordable apartment complex on Virginia Beach Boulevard near Birdneck Road in June, is the love the community has had for this provider since its founding in 1986. “We’ve been coming here for over 10 years,” says John Williams, one of 13 volunteers from Holy Spirit Catholic Church on Lynnhaven Parkway. “We buy the ingredients and prepare the meals, then come here and serve it.”
A bevy of houses of worship and other groups do the same, and more are needed. The JCOC also runs a food pantry and other nutrition programs that depend on funders like Beth Sholom, which distributed more than $837,000 in 2026 from interest income earned from the sale of its former nursing home and assisted living campus.
“We expect to have more than a million dollars to share in 2027,” says Lauren Krajesky, BSV executive director, “and we will likely assist JCOC again as well as other local agencies, Jewish and non-Jewish, that are addressing the housing, nutrition, transportation, and isolation prevention needs of our senior population.”
Organizations can learn more about the BSV fund at www.bethsholomvillage.com.