Anna's Story
Anna, an 89-year-old Holocaust survivor, is partially paralyzed as a result of a stroke last year. Widowed many years ago, she gets financial support from her only daughter, who helps to pay for the live-in care that Anna needs for her safety. Nevertheless, Anna’s monthly income of $1,150–which includes $360 in reparation funds that her JFCS case manager helped her obtain—does not cover her expenses.
Each month, we deliver nutritious staples from our Food Pantry, as well as grocery store vouchers so that Anna’s caregiver can buy her fresh produce and dairy products. Our volunteers also deliver special holiday foods and greetings for Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah, and Passover. Anna lives very modestly, but she says she has the best of both worlds: her independence and the feeling that she is not alone.
Contact
Lilya Mitelman, Director of Annual Giving, at 415-449-1256 or LilyaM@jfcs.org
Special Appeals
December Is Mitzvah Month at JFCS
JFCS invites you to consider the following opportunities to help those in need during our Mitzvah Month of December:
Adopt a Family: Bring light to a struggling family. Your gift of $100 can pay a monthly utility bill.
Give Hunger a Holiday: With a $200 gift, help us buy grocery store gift cards or restock the JFCS Food Pantries—enough to feed a family of four for a week or a senior in need for a month.
Back on Your Feet Fund: While unemployed moms and dads continue to seek work, your $500 gift can prevent their families’ eviction or foreclosure.
Any amount of contribution to these appeals is welcome, of course. Your gift will change someone's life. And we will send a personalized tribute card to the person you may choose to honor through the gift.
Donate now. Or call 415-449-1256 to make your gift over the phone. Thank you for your compassion and generosity!
Bringing Help and Hope for the Holidays
JFCS has an extensive food delivery program for the holidays. During Hanukkah, the High Holidays, and Passover, JFCS volunteers assemble and deliver food bags to people with disabilities, those with chronic illness, and the elderly in our communities throughout the Bay Area. In doing so, we are mindful of special dietary needs as well. In addition, scores of Bay Area institutions that partner with us to feed the hungry during the High Holidays--synagogues, Jewish day schools, and Jewish community centers--place JFCS food barrels at their locations to which thousands contribute nutritious and non-perishable food items.
JFCS' Passover appeal, our Seder Sacks campaign, has a long and proud tradition of "turning matzah into mitzvah." For a donation of $18, JFCS friends provide the funds that allow a Seder Sack brimming with Passover foods to be delivered to those who otherwise might not be able to enjoy the holiday. Many friends contribute multiples of $18 so that more community members can partake of the sweetness and joy of the holiday.
Emergency Family Assistance Fund
In this time of uncertainty, one thing is certain: JFCS is here to help. We offer short-term emergency grants for rent, health care, and other essential needs; scholarships for education; legal services; counseling; free workshops; and many more services to help those hit by the economic recession or other personal crises, transitions, and emergencies. We open 10 new cases every day and, with your support, we can provide immediate assistance and help families get back on their feet.
Food Pantry Fund
During these hard economic times, many people are struggling to put food on their tables. JFCS’ Food Pantries are feeding hundreds of families each month in Palo Alto, San Mateo, San Francisco, Marin, and Sonoma. We gratefully accept donations of non-perishable foods and toiletries. Also, your gift to the Food Pantry Fund will ensure that we can offer healthful, balanced items by purchasing additional non-perishable foods and providing vouchers for families to buy fresh fruits and vegetables and meet special dietary needs.
Holocaust Survivors Assistance Fund
There are an estimated 4,000 Holocaust survivors living in the Bay Area, and JFCS wants to help them live their last years in dignity. Many of them live in near-poverty and need our help for food and rent, medical expenses, personal care and companionship, spiritual care, and more. We have estabalished a fund to help us care for these community members who have already suffered so much. Taking care of our elders is more important than ever, since state and federal funding has been cut substantially for senior services.
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Contact:
Lilya Mitelman, Director of Annual Giving, at 415-449-1256 or LilyaM@jfcs.org