News & Impact

Coming home after surgery, Eleanor didn’t have to worry about arranging for the home care she now needed for the first time in her life. Seniors At Home had already done it. “It was a relief that I didn’t have to scramble for services in my condition,” says Eleanor, 84. “Since everyone at Seniors At Home knew what I wanted, I could focus on regaining my strength.” Eleanor is part of the newly available Futures Program, which is for healthy seniors anticipating that their needs will change as they age. Seniors of any age—from their late sixties to their nineties—sign… Read More

Several hundred community members gathered at San Francisco’s Jewish Community Center (SFJCC) on Sunday, April 7,  to commemorate Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. The multigenerational participants ranged from middle school students and scholars to rabbis and Holocaust survivors. Here’s a snapshot of the day’s events, which included an art project, a reading of Holocaust victims’ names, symposia, and a worship service. San Francisco’s Yom HaShoah programs were co-sponsored by the JFCS Holocaust Center, Lehrhaus Judaica, the SFJCC, the Jewish Community Relations Council, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the Anti-Defamation League. Photos by Michael Krasnobrod.  … Read More

When 71-year-old Jay lost his wife in 2011, he received comfort from JFCS’ spiritual cares services and its Bereavement Support Group. “JFCS and Seniors At Home helped me get through a tough time,” he said. That’s why Jay didn’t hesitate to return to Seniors At Home this spring, when he began dating. “I felt like I was cheating on my wife,” he said, “and I needed to talk through issues I haven’t addressed in almost 50 years—sex and intimacy.” “It’s not unusual for many people in their 60s, 70s, 80s, and even 90s to experience conflicting feelings about love, romance,… Read More

You’re tired, cranky, and short-tempered. You feel that you have no life outside of your spouse, kid, and job. Does this make you a lousy parent—or are you being too hard on yourself? “We see a lot of clients  who wonder whether they’re good parents,” says Karen Friedland-Brown, MA, Director of Parents Place on the Peninsula, “Most of the time, they’re doing fine. All they need are support, strategies, and reassurance.  “Parents in the Bay Area are particularly hard on themselves,” continues Karen. “They’re super-achievers: educated, driven, and socially conscious.They want to do the right things for their kids. We… Read More

JFCS’ Food Program, which runs a Food Pantry in each of our five regional offices (in San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties), is seeking volunteers to go to the San Francisco Food Bank on a weekly basis to select appropriate food items for our San Francisco Food Pantry and for our home-delivered meal program serving younger adults with disabilities. Several volunteer openings are available. Volunteers will have: A strong interest or background in health and nutrition. Interest or experience in volunteering in a social-service setting. Strong communications skills. Reliable transportation. A valid California driver’s license,… Read More

“My students don’t know about Adolf Hitler,” says Brian Jamieson, a San Francisco teacher who works with high-risk youth . That’s why Jamieson and his students have attended the JFCS Holocaust Center’s annual Day of Learning, which brings together hundreds of students, teachers, and survivors for intensive study and discussion of the Holocaust. This year, it takes place on Sun., Mar. 17, at San Francisco’s Mercy High School. “I want my students to not only understand why Hitler was bad,” he says, “but why the Holocaust is relevant today.” JFCS Holocaust Center is Northern California’s primary resource for Holocaust… Read More