News & Impact

For many of us, the holiday season is a time of comfort, celebration and joy. But for individuals and families in need, this time of year can prove particularly difficult or lonely. JFCS volunteers are gathering together to lovingly provide gifts, meals and comfort to the members of our community who need it most. If you’re looking to give back this holiday season, join us for any of three festive volunteering opportunities that everyone in the family can take part in. Volunteer Thanksgiving Weekend at St. Anthony’s Did you know that one in five adults in San Francisco struggles to… Read More

Do you share your life with a friendly well-trained dog? JFCS’ Canine Corps help seniors live safer, healthier, more independent lives in their own homes. By working with seniors, volunteers have the opportunity to help them remain independent, while building meaningful relationships. Pets often bring out the best in people. This program provides an opportunity for seniors to experience the benefits of human-animal interaction. Here’s how to become a JFCS Canine Corps volunteer: To get started first fill out the online JFCS Volunteer Application and check the “Canine Companions” interest box. A JFCS Volunteer Coordinator will reach out to answer… Read More

The menu featured wonton soup, chicken stir fry with steamed rice and vegetables, cold noodle salad with crispy wontons and peanut dressing, green salad, fruit salad, and tapioca pudding. It was not a new, Asian-inspired restaurant. It was sustenance for people in need; lovingly prepared, packaged, and delivered by volunteers for JFCS clients, including low-income families and seniors. The volunteers are called Chicken Soupers, and they gather approximately once a month to provide food for those who need it. In Marin, the Chicken Soupers come from San Rafael’s Brandeis Hillel Day School (soon to be called Brandeis Marin.) “Programs like… Read More

Join fellow JFCS volunteers (as well as volunteers from our friends at San Francisco’s Congregation Sha’ar Zahav, Temple Emanu-El and Sherith Israel) for our 20th annual workday at Golden Gate Park’s National AIDS Memorial Grove: Sunday, August 9, 2015, 9:00 am – 12:30 pm To remember the thousands in our community whom we lost to HIV and AIDS, as well as to honor those living with it, we gather together yearly in this beautiful, serene setting to weed, plant, and renovate the grove. This is a wonderful opportunity to pay tribute to our friends and loved ones, to work as… Read More

For Maria Ramos-Chertok and her husband, Keith, one of the best ways of imbuing their sons with Jewish values is by having them help create, assemble, and deliver bags of Hanukkah treats to JFCS clients in need . The Chertok boys—Michael, 10, and Joshua, 12—have been doing so for at least five years. “It is an important part of tikkun olam,” Maria says. “They have had some remarkable experiences meeting the clients who are receiving the Hanukkah bags from us.” The Ramos-Chertok family and many others are part of JFCS’ efforts to reach out to the thousands of clients and… Read More

The fall is busy for many of us—work, school, and preparations for the Jewish New Year. It’s also a hectic time for Amy Darling, a JFCS friend on the South Peninsula. But Amy always makes a commitment to JFCS at the High Holidays, rallying family and friends to assemble and deliver Rosh Hashanah foods to older JFCS clients in need. It’s a tradition she strongly believes in. “I grew up visiting nursing homes with my grandmother,” she says. “I now take my 7-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter with me, and I encourage as many people in my community to participate… Read More