News & Impact

With compassion and generosity, our community came together over the last year to provide the highest quality care to more people than ever in Jewish Family and Children’s Services’ 171-year history.   Today, conditions are still uncertain. Recovery will be long—especially for the most vulnerable. Your help is needed to ensure no one is left behind.  Recently, Nina, a mother of two, was desperate for a lifeline.   Nina ran through her scant savings trying to provide for her daughters after her small business collapsed. With mounting debt, no family to lean on, and no clear path forward, Nina’s panic grew. Her… Read More

When Ashley Ashkinos was 12 years old, she longed to attend a Jewish entrepreneurial camp. Unfortunately, the tuition was not in her family’s budget, so Ashley decided to raise funds on her own. She sold lemonade, created a crowdfunding campaign, and quickly raised $2,500 within a few weeks. Realizing that there may be other kids struggling to afford the camp too, Ashley continued her campaign and raised an additional $10,000, which she donated to award scholarships to other kids with financial needs. Today, Ashley’s heart and fortitude are being recognized—this summer, she was selected as one of JFCS’ two 2021… Read More

Nora, a single mother, has worked hard to build a small but highly regarded local business while raising her only son. In late 2019, Nora was overjoyed to purchase her first home. Almost immediately, the coronavirus pandemic hit and Nora feared having to shut her business down altogether. She spent the next six months struggling to make her mortgage payments, covering her son’s college tuition, and using her credit cards to stay afloat. The financial stress was taking a toll on Nora: she would often stay up all night with crippling anxiety. A friend who had heard about JFCS’ Pandemic … Read More

When Claire was told—after three months of furlough due to the pandemic—that she would not have her job at a Jewish organization to go back to, she panicked. After suffering 10 years of violence and emotional abuse, Claire had just separated from her husband and started rebuilding a life for her two young children. Without an income, how would they stay in their new apartment? How could she guarantee that her kids would stay safe? COVID-19 has brought with it another pandemic: domestic violence has risen as stress, proximity, and increased substance abuse take their toll. In this short time,… Read More

Mark Bely says that what he knows about JFCS is that it is a go to organization. When you need help, have questions, or want to give back to the community, you go to JFCS. Mark was nine years old when his family left Russia for a new life in San Francisco. His parents, Boris and Larisa, moved the family to be closer to Boris’ father, who had made the same journey a year before. With hard work and the help of JFCS’ Emigre Services, the three generations of the Bely family soon adjusted to life in America—Boris became… Read More

Isaac Davis-Silverstein admits that growing up in wealthy Marin County was, at times, a struggle—he often felt like he had so much less than others did. During his high school years, he was acutely aware of the extravagance around him. Soon, however, he began to realize that his experience was not a shortcoming, but rather a strength. “Not having everything given to me as a child helped me learn to appreciate the things I do have,” Isaac explains. Isaac felt that he could empathize with people in a way that some of his peers could not, and he began to… Read More