News & Impact

JFCS’ Food Program, which runs a Food Pantry in each of our five regional offices (in San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties), is seeking volunteers to go to the San Francisco Food Bank on a weekly basis to select appropriate food items for our San Francisco Food Pantry and for our home-delivered meal program serving younger adults with disabilities. Several volunteer openings are available. Volunteers will have: A strong interest or background in health and nutrition. Interest or experience in volunteering in a social-service setting. Strong communications skills. Reliable transportation. A valid California driver’s license,… Read More

Because business leaders know it takes a village to support those in need, they generously offer resources to JFCS clients. Recently, Peet’s Coffee & Tea contributed to our Dream House and Parents Place programs—a result of Peet’s customers who made donations to totaling $10,000. Peet’s joins many business partners, that give cash and in-kind gifts. They include San Francisco magazine, Whole Foods, the San Francisco 49ers, and many more. “We are grateful for the outpouring of support that we receive throughout the year from companies, big and small, that want to give back to the community by investing in… Read More

Seventy-three-year-old retired businessman Paul Sonnenblick volunteered with students in San Francisco’s public schools for a couple of years, so when he learned about JFCS’ mentoring program during a tour of the agency, he jumped at the opportunity to be of service. “I like working with kids,” says Paul, “and the 10-year-old JFCS assigned me to is such a delight and smart as a whip.” Paul reviews homework and school assignments with Steven, a 5th grade student, and he uses computer games as a springboard to discuss a wide array of issues and to boost his student’s writing and speaking abilities.… Read More

For Irene Gorodyansky, serving as a JFCS mentor to a 16-year-old high school junior is a way of giving back to the Jewish community that helped her and her family when they emigrated from the former Soviet Union. But it is also a labor of love. “I love working with teenagers,” says Irene, a UC Berkeley alum and now a doctoral student in psychology. “They’re at an age when you can have an impact on them … and they’re also a lot of fun.” In addition to tutoring her student, Marisa, in math and SAT prep, Irene talks to her… Read More

For more than 160 years, JFCS has been committed to making sure that those in our community who are hungry, or are at risk of hunger, have enough to eat. In addition to our Food Bank, which provides sustenance throughout the year to many of our clients in need in San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties, JFCS helps to nourish hundreds of individuals annually through a range of programs: Our Kosher Meals on Wheels program in San Francisco delivers hot, nutritious meals to frail, homebound seniors with a kosher tradition. We are proud of our… Read More