JFS Urban Community Garden Takes Root

On May 25, the JFS staff began work on their new Urban Community Garden, helped by an eager group of middle school students. Located directly outside JFS headquarters in Elizabeth, the garden currently contains a variety of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and squash. The fresh produce is being delivered in our monthly Food Pantry packages, to the homebound elderly, clients on the Friend Advocate Program, and Kosher Meals on Wheels recipients. The JFS Urban Community Garden will not only supplement our food programs, but provide healthier food to JFS's clients. It has also increased opportunities for Jewish Family service volunteers.

 

The funding for the JFS Urban Community Garden came from a grant from Philips Bayway 66 Refinery, and assistance from Groundwork Elizabeth, a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve urban landscapes by encouraging communities to improve the environment. Representatives from Groundwork Elizabeth assisted in planning the garden, providing plants and valuable information about soil conditions and mulch.
If you would like to help out with the garden, please contact Elie Bodner, Volunteer Coordinator at: 908-352-8375, ebodner@jfscentralnj.org.

JFS Goes to the Cloud: Foundations Fund iPads, "Cloud Software," & Security Badges ot Improve Client Care

JFS has been able to make several upgrades in technology thanks to grants from the Hyde and Watson Foundation, the E.J. Grassmann Trust, the Overlook Hospital Foundation, and the Westfield Foundation, all of New Jersey.  These upgrades are improving our ability to deliver service to clients in and around Union County.   

Thanks to a grant from the Hyde and Watson Foundation and the Westfield Foundation, we upgraded our systems to conform to the latest HIPPA billing systems for Medicare and private insurance. With our software now in the "cloud", JFS began looking into technological ways to improve client care for our nurses and social workers who make home visits.  Thanks to the E.J.Grassmann Trust and the Overlook Hospital Foundation, JFS has purchased iPads that conform to our client software.  Field staff now have the ability to access agency documents and resources including a client’s electronic charts, and make referrals to improve client care all while in the home of the client.  JFS field staff can spend more time addressing clients’ immediate needs in their homes and less time in the office.

In addition, the Union Foundation of New Jersey, generously supported our efforts to upgrade security for Agency employees.  Thanks to this grant, employees gain access to the main office in Elizabeth with electronic badges.  Nurses, social workers, home health aides, homemakers, and Meals on Wheels personnel also wear these badges so they are easily identifiable when in the field making home visits.

Jewish Family Service is grateful to these foundations for their support.