News & Impact

JFCS changes lives every day—and we couldn’t do it without the help of our volunteers. From providing companionship to isolated seniors to ensuring people in need have access to nutritious meals, volunteers are essential to every aspect of our work. 

During Volunteer Appreciation Month, we’re highlighting a few of the many individuals who give their time and talents to strengthen our community.

For Bryce Jacks, volunteering with JFCS has become a way of giving back to his community and connecting with others.

Bryce Jacks, volunteer and leader of “Science with Bryce” at Shupin Social Club:

“I first got involved with JFCS in 2023, looking for a place where I could volunteer that aligned with my values—being Jewish and being part of a diverse, welcoming community. I reached out to my rabbi at Chabad, and he said, ‘Go to JFCS.’ My dad—who immigrated from Canada with the help of JFCS—said the same thing: that it was one of the best ways I could give back to my community.

I started off volunteering in the Food Bank and Legal Services. At the Food Bank, I stocked shelves and helped clients find what they needed. Seeing the smiles on their faces when I was able to find maybe a bonus item or something they were really craving that day—it made my day too. It was reciprocal in that way.

In Legal Services, I helped compile articles to support immigration cases. A lot of it felt personal—my dad’s family is originally from Russia, so reading these stories about people trying to make a safer life really mirrored my own family’s experience.

But the thing that’s become closest to my heart is ‘Science with Bryce,’ the monthly science workshops I do with the Shupin residents—young adults with developmental disabilities. It started when I was studying for the MCAT; we were talking about medicine and one of the participants said, ‘I’ll never be able to understand those things.’

That hit me hard. I felt like I had to do something about it. I started involving them more directly in experiments—things like density columns made of oil and water that turn into lava lamp effects. Seeing that sense of self-efficacy light up their faces—it just made me so happy. I’m looking forward to expanding the program with even bigger, more exciting (and educational) experiments.

Volunteering at JFCS has made a real impact on me. And I hope it’s made an impact on the people I’ve connected with too.”