A Message From Tom Beck, JFS Executive Director

As Jewish Family Service is in the midst of celebrating 100 years of service to the community, it is a perfect opportunity to reflect on our accomplishments over the past year as well as the past hundred years. What a noble history the agency has had: from a small group of founding individuals to over 3,000 supporters; from a handful of clients to more than 6,800 served last year alone.  What a staggering commitment to our community, as our statistics will show.

During 2011, we provided homecare services to the elderly and the frail, play therapy to children, and offered emergency financial services to those who, through no fault of their own, found themselves without income or a stable home.  The Economic Response Initiative, funded by the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest, has become a model for helping people find work.  In fact, 300 individuals have been served through this program.  Our goal, as always, is to help people live with dignity and independence.

Our challenge is to evoke a sense of community, that we all make our world a better place (tikun olam- repairing the world): better for our parents who are challenged by aging and dealing with health issues; better for the distraught wife, the unemployed spouse, and the children who are caught somewhere in-between; better for the family that has no roof over their head and no food on the table.

Because of the generosity and humanity of our gifted professional staff, volunteers, and donors, we were able to accomplish the following to make the world a better place for these people:

•   23,000 hours of Individual and Family Counseling, including Social Work and Registered Nurse home visits to the elderly 

• 30,000 hours of Home Care services

• 21,600 Kosher Meals on Wheels

• 366 Group and Family Life Education Programs to 1,500 individuals.  Examples of these programs include: T’ai Chi, blood pressure screenings, parenting groups, health fairs, socialization groups, and others.

• 1,000 individuals helped by our Food Pantry and Food Assistance program

• 2,200 Personal Care Transportation rides to medical appointments 

As the lead agency for the State of New Jersey, we now provide $2 million in funding from The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany for services to Holocaust Survivors across the state.  This is the fifth highest in the nation.

We have become the lead agency of the county-wide Home Health Aide Training funded through the Union County Division on Aging.  During the past year, we led two classes through JFS, now 30 individuals have been able to get their Home Health Aide License.

New this year has been our Care Transitions Program.  We have a Registered Nurse Health Coach who works with patients who have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Heart Failure to provide intensive follow-up to prevent re-hospitalizations.  Financed by the Grotta Fund for Senior Care and working cooperatively with Holy Redeemer Home Care NJ and Trinitas Regional Medical Center on this new program enables us to be well-positioned to apply for a federal grant in the near future.

Through the many efforts of (and funding from) the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest, we have been able to provide many services to the unemployed through the Economic Response Initiative, as well as receiving $4,000 worth of food through Supermarket Sweep and Super Sunday.  In addition, Federation has helped us launch Project Kesher, which is providing the community with outreach programs this year, ranging from raising breast cancer awareness to family mitzvah projects and lectures on family issues.  We are truly grateful for this partnership.

Thanks to all our funding sources:  The Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest; The Union County Division on Aging; The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany; The United Ways; and so many foundations and corporations (over 60 in all). 

All of this can only continue with the hard work and commitment of dedicated board members, staff, and volunteers from our community.   I urge everyone to contact me at tbeck@JFSCentralNJ.org, or 908-352-8375, if you have some time to donate to become a Friend Advocate for an isolated elderly individual, help maintain our Urban Community Garden, deliver food to a family in need, or donate your professional time to the agency.

I wish you all the best to you and your families for a Happy and Healthy New Year.

What You Can Do to Help JFS Fight Hunger

Jewish Family Service of Central NJ recently received several grants to support the JFS Kosher Food Pantry which provides food packages to over 250 individuals and families a month and 1,000 emergency food packages a year.  In addition to funding from the Federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program, JFS  received generous  grants  from the Ann Earle Talcott Fund, Shoprite Partners in Caring, and Stop & Shop Supermarkets to support our efforts to provide supplementary food packages for people who walk into the agency requesting emergency food.  Proceeds from our recent Art Show and Family Concert helped maintain all of our food programs including Kosher Meals on Wheels.

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, a California based national nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing and alleviating hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds, granted JFS of Central NJ $7,000 for our advocacy work to alleviate hunger. Rabbi George Nudell, of Congregation Beth Israel in Scotch Plains, says, "For over twenty years, MAZON has been addressing the problem of hunger, both in the United States and in Israel. Rather than creating another relief agency, MAZON screens and provides funding for organizations already at work fighting hunger, providing strategic initiatives to help people in poverty to become self-sustaining. With over 50 million Americans (mostly children!) and with almost a quarter of all Israelis living without enough to eat each day, the work MAZON does literally saves lives."
 

According to Tom Beck, JFS Executive Director, “JFS is pleased to have been selected once again for one of MAZON’S Partnership Grants to advocate on behalf of those in our community who need food.”  Mia Hubbard, MAZON’s  Vice President of Programs, says “Charitable food programs are struggling to keep up with unprecedented demand, and at the same time government food and nutrition assistance programs are under attack.”  The JFS Food Pantry Program, which helps over 250 individuals and families a month, has seen a sharp reduction in funding from FEMA.  “Funding from MAZON will help us advocate on the legislative level as well as educating the community about the plight of the unemployed or underemployed in our community who are having a hard time putting food on their tables” said Beck.

The Shoprite Partners in Caring Program, The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company, and the Ann Earle Talcott Fund are committed to a number of causes including fighting hunger.   JFS is most appreciative to these foundations and to everyone in the community who is our partner in helping alleviate hunger in our community.

In addition, the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest has been a generous partner in helping provide food and support for the Food Pantry.  Their annual Super Market Sweep before Passover  engages the entire community in purchasing food for the Pantry and culminates in sorting and storing the donated food in our main office where the pantry is located.  Donating and packing food is an integral activity for Super Sunday, scheduled this year for December 2, 2012.

Here are some ways you can help:

·    Donate Kosher Food -- JFS has an ongoing Kosher Food Pantry supplying monthly food packages to over 250 individuals and families a month.   The packages consist of non-perishable food items such as canned vegetables and beans, tuna fish, cereal, peanut butter, jam, pasta, crackers, oil, baby food, coffee tea, tomato sauce, etc.  In addition we provide over 1,000 emergency food packages to anyone who comes to our office seeking food.  We accept all kosher food items with a current expiration date on an ongoing basis.

·    Volunteer to maintain the JFS Urban Community Garden at the JFS Elizabeth office.

·    Help Pack and Deliver Food to the Needy—Contact Volunteer Coordinator Elie Bodner, ebodner@jfscentralnj.org, or, 908-352-8375,  if you are interested in donating food, money or your time.

·    Participate in the Supermarket Sweep and Super Sunday activities from the Jewish Federation of Great MetroWest. 

·    Donate funds or gift certificates to allow us to purchase food for the needy.