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
Claire Huntington O'Neill, Annual Giving Manager, at 415-449-1256 or ClaireO@jfcs.org
Special Appeals
Join Our Seder Sack Campaign
At this time of year, memories of Passover pasts flood our minds: steaming bowls of matzah ball soup, grandma's homemade gefilte fish, our youngest cousin reciting the Four Questions, the dipping of the karpas into salt water.
For many in our community, unfortunately, Passover is only a beloved memory. They do not have the means to set a seder table for themselves and their loved ones.
That's why JFCS each year mounts a Seder Sack campaign. We want to be sure that frail seniors on a limited budget, adults with disabilities, families in crisis, and others in need can take part in the festival.
Your gift of $18 will allow JFCS to purchase one grocery bag of holiday foods, including matzah, gefilte fish, soup, and macaroons. A gift of $36 will allow us to fill two bags. A Chai Five will provide for five bags. Seder sacks are delivered directly to thousands of JFCS clients in our community.
Make a gift to our Seder Sack campagin by calling 415-449-1256 or mailing your check directly to:
Jewish Family and Children's Services, 2150 St., San Francisco, CA 94115, Attn: Seder Sacks.
In addition, you may choose to make a gift online. Make sure to designate it Seder Sacks.
Please know that if you make a gift in honor or memory off a loved one, JFCS will send a holiday card to acknowledge that a food bag has been purchased as a tribute.
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:
Claire Huntington O'Neill, Annual Giving Manager, at 415-449-1256 or ClaireO@jfcs.org