Dear Friends,

Every day at Jewish Family & Children’s Service, we hear from members of our community in real need. These are our neighbors, who are facing challenges from poverty, isolation, neurological diseases, and loss—just to name a few. In recent months, even more of our neighbors have sought mental health support in the wake of the crisis in Israel and the trauma of antisemitism at home. Our work at JF&CS is to be there for each of them.

In my role, I’m privileged to speak with many people that JF&CS has cared for. One consistent theme they share is that we see the human beings behind the problems, and we help people accordingly. That requires a commitment to our core Jewish values of caring for one another, along with broad and deep social service expertise.

It also requires many hands working together under one roof to tackle complex challenges. If someone comes to us needing food for their table, we provide that, but we also make sure their living situation is free from abuse, their parenting journey is supported, and their mental health is attended to. Our staff join hands across services and departments every day to offer an integrated set of supports to get folks on the right path.

And then there are the many hands that make up our unstoppable network of supporters. Our volunteers visit new parents every week, drive Holocaust survivors to medical appointments, and deliver food to those in need. Our donors make sure there’s a place to call when you don’t know where to turn to help an aging parent. Our community members offer a kosher 24/7 residence for adults with disabilities who want to live independent, Jewish lives. And so much more.

At JF&CS, many hands come together to carry out the constant work of improving lives. And your hands are chief among them. The vast well of generosity from you, our donors, enables all our work. Thank you for joining us to care for the community.

Gail Schulman

Chief Executive Officer