Together at the table: A campaign to nourish and support the needs of our community

Be

Mental health support

Accessing government benefits Parenting workshops Support for people with disabilities Finding housing Pro bono legal services

Together at the table A Campaign to Nourish and Support the Needs of our Community

Interest-free loans Combatting isolation

s ie

r G o d c e n r o y

We provide so much more than food Two years into the crisis the increase in food security persists at around

30% With our expanded space, we will now be able to increase our capacity by

60%

When is a table not just table? When it is a gateway to comprehensive care and support for our neighbors in need.

At the JF&CS Family Table food pantry, our job doesn’t end with the delivery of nutritious, Kosher food and a caring connection. That’s just the beginning. We are a leading provider of integrated human services. With your support, JF&CS’ Family Table expansion will increase our capacity by 60 percent, allowing us to serve the wide-ranging needs of over 800 families in the Greater Boston area. But to do that we need your partnership.

The Need Our community is in crisis.

From job losses to inflation to trauma, the pandemic is exacerbating the huge economic and mental health challenges already at play in Greater Boston. UMass Boston found that 60% of single older people in Massachusetts can’t afford the necessities of life. Last year JF&CS logged double the number of calls for basic services than usual. Feeding America research showed that Massachusetts had

the largest increase in food insecurity in the country.

Two years into the crisis the increase in food insecurity in MA persists at around 30%.

Of course, mental health is also an exploding need.

Recent research found that 68 percent of financially insecure Americans say they experience anxiety about their lives — much higher than the general population. Indeed, we have fielded hundreds of calls since launching Mental Health Connect — our free, confidential information and

referral service — many of them from people facing economic hardship.

Our Unique Approach Once a client comes in the door looking for food at Family Table, they are a JF&CS client. Our “One Door to JF&CS” process identifies the full suite of needed services, from domestic abuse support to combating trauma in young children to socialization for isolated older adults. Hundreds more Family Table clients means hundreds

more JF&CS clients with a wide range of needs.

As the largest Kosher food pantry in New England, we serve clients of all backgrounds and needs and cover more than 100 towns from our bases of operation in Waltham, Canton, and Marblehead. 19% of our clients are survivors of Nazi persecution.

For many people, the idea of a food pantry conjures up an image of a place where people wait in line for whatever food is available.

Claire’s story

“Family Table is more to me than the food deliveries — it is knowing that we are not alone.”

Family Table is much more.

We offer healthy foods: lots of fruits and vegetables, eggs, and Kosher chicken, paired with recipes from a registered dietician.

Our delivery option is just the first way that we go beyond food to provide wraparound services from all parts of JF&CS. It’s an opportunity for volunteers and clients to connect human-to-human — a nurturing experience for all.

Our operation is highly efficient, leveraging donated food, inexpensive food

procured through the Greater Boston Food Bank, and providing our clients a tax-free benefit powered by an immense number of hours of volunteer labor. The volunteer experience offers many families and synagogue communities an opportunity to come together to live out their values.

Response to the Crisis JF&CS mobilized to respond to the crisis on multiple fronts. We immediately expanded our work to help

more families navigate the social service ecosystem and gain government benefits.

We created an emergency grocery delivery program.

We gave out over $1 million in emergency financial assistance. And we launched new mental health support services.

Now, with support from early funders, we have expanded the Family Table space to support more families — tripling our cold storage capacity, expanding our dry storage area, and

adding private space for case management. We will now be able to increase our capacity by 60 percent, serving the wide-ranging needs of over 800 families.

But to provide that support, we need more than space: We need the case management and support to help families access not only food, but the full range services such as government benefits advocacy, or mental health coaches or parenting support or Holocaust survivor services.

“As a result of your legal advice and rental assistance from JF&CS, I can honestly say that I have been the recipient of a domino effect of goodwill.”

Name and identifying information changed to protect the client’s identity

Claire, age 71, is a retired department store sales associate who has lived both a difficult and joyous life.

She raised her son as a single mom, participated in the Sisterhood at her synagogue and is now retired.

She lives in a small apartment in the same North Shore community where she’s lived for 40 years, even as rent increases each year. Claire gets by month to month on Social Security and government food stamps. Her Rabbi introduced her to JF&CS Family Table, and the monthly delivery meant that she could count on a predictable balance of fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy proteins, and kitchen staples.

Even so, without savings, she wasn’t prepared when her building was sold, and her rent increased by 15%.

A friend from her synagogue helped Claire find a more affordable apartment, but the landlord required first and last months’ rent up front in addition to a security deposit. Plus, the moving costs

were significant. Claire shared her problem with her caseworker at Family Table, who immediately connected her to the JF&CS Emergency Financial Assistance Program. JF&CS provided the funds that allowed Claire to move into an affordable apartment in her community.

After learning more about all the services available at JF&CS — and knowing how JF&CS was there for her in the past — Claire felt comfortable to reach out to JF&CS Mental Health Connect to share her struggle with the depression and isolation she felt during the pandemic. The service then connected Claire with the help she needed to start on a path to well-being.

Claire came in the JF&CS door to Family Table to fill her pantry. Ultimately, Claire’s ties to Family Table led to economic stability, mental wellness, and fulfillment that she once thought out of reach.

Financials To increase our capacity at Family Table by 60 percent and serve the wide-ranging needs of over 800 families in the Greater Boston area with JF&CS services, we need significant philanthropic support.

$749,633 27%

Schechter Holocaust Sevices Total Expense $2,731,842

$285,551 41%

$202,800 37%

Journey to Safety Total Expense $549,661

$447,333 83%

$808,936 90%

Emergency Financial Assistance Total Expense $704,751

Need for philanthropy in dollar amount & percentage Lauren and Mark Rubin Visiting Moms Total Expense $540,533

Family Table Total Expense $897,936

Building on the $200,000 already raised

Photos: Courtesy of David Greenfield (inside spread photos 1, 2, 5, and back cover)

to finance the physical expansion of the Family Table space,

$500,000 JF&CS is seeking to raise an additional

Waltham Headquarters | Brighton | Canton | Central MA | North Shore For more information, visit jfcsboston.org or call 781- 647-JFCS (5327).

in 2022 to support the services

needed for the new families in our midst.

Connect with us: