As our community returns to a sense of normalcy, JFCS continues to see consistency in the number of people still experiencing food insecurity. In May alone, over 260 individuals and families utilized the JFCS Sonny & Janet Meyer Food Pantry. Of these, nearly 100 were children under the age of 18 and almost two dozen were senior adults aged 60 or older.
Our Food Pantry addresses their needs with help from generous financial donations and in-kind donations of food and personal care items that people, like you, have made this year. To help us continue to meet the needs of our community, we are excited to announce our no-contact food drives for June 2021.
Join us on Sunday, June 13 from 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm and Wednesday, June 30 from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. as we accept donations for the JFCS Sonny & Janet Meyer Food Pantry. This no-contact food drive will allow you to drive up to the JFCS building at 2821 Klempner Way and drop off your donations without leaving your car.
You can participate by donating regular sized (not travel or bulk sized) items our community needs most, including:
- Applesauce
- Kidney beans
- Baked beans
- Brown rice
- Canned salmon
- Canned chicken
- Cereal
- Coffee/tea (no pods)
- Dried fruit
- Graham crackers
- Raisins
- Snack bars
- Cookies
- Jellies and jams
- Oatmeal in canisters
- Salad dressing
- Condiments
- Soup and pasta in boxes
At this time, JFCS cannot accept glass containers. Mark your calendars to make your donation drop off on Sunday, June 13 from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. and Wednesday, June 30 from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.* Please wear a mask and remain in your car when you arrive, and a JFCS staff member or volunteer will collect your items.
You can also make monetary donations in support of the food pantry by visiting our secure, online giving form today.
If you have questions, please contact us at 502-452-6341 x246.
*Please note: As JFCS staff members still work remotely, the JFCS offices will not be open for additional drop-off times.
A week has passed since MOSAIC 2021, and we are still honored and humbled by the generous contributions made by our sponsors and community supporters, like you.
Our annual awards presentation and fundraiser supports the critical work we do with refugees, immigrants and underserved individuals and families throughout every zip code in Greater Louisville. This year, because of your generosity, we have raised more than $68,000 in support of our mission to expand possibilities for each person and every family.
Our vision that all in Greater Louisville live with dignity and purpose is guided by our Jewish values, universally held. This year, we asked our MOSAIC Award recipients to share with us what our values meant to them. Here is what they had to say about Chesed and Kehilah:
Learn more about how JFCS serves people of all backgrounds through Chesed, actions rooted in compassion and empathy.
Learn more about how JFCS serves people of all backgrounds through Kehilah, connections that strengthen individuals and build community.
MOSAIC 2021 may be over, but our work in the community never stops. Our wide range of services are made possible with your generous support throughout the year. By making a gift online, via check in the mail or through a donor-advised fund or stock transfer, you help ensure our clients and their families have access to the tools and resources they use to make a difference in their lives every day. Continue to support our work by making a gift online today or consider becoming a monthly donor to JFCS.
JFCS has been proud to host the presentation of the Jeff and Phyllis Osbourn Scholarship at our annual MOSAIC dinner. Because MOSAIC 2021 is in a virtual format, the award is being presented virtually.
The Jeff and Phyllis Osbourn Scholarship Fund at the Legacy Foundation of Kentuckiana (formerly Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s Foundation) recognizes an immigrant or refugee pursuing a career in nursing or other high-demand healthcare fields. The Osbourn Scholarship fits well at MOSAIC and with Jewish Family & Career Services because of our regionally recognized work in recredentialing and career laddering for refugees and immigrants in Greater Louisville.
Queensly Pat-Enike is the 2021 Jeff and Phyllis Osbourn Scholarship recipient. Here is Queensly’s story in her own words.
My name is Queensly Pat-Enike. I am from Nigeria. I moved to the United States in August 2016 on an F1 visa to pursue a college education in Nursing. It has been a very tough journey as the exchange rate went up four hundred and sixty naira to one American dollar. But because my family is very supportive of my dreams and goals, they have been taking out loans to help me through. This I am very grateful for.
I have always wanted to build the most reliable hospital in my country since I was 13 years old. This goal became evident while I was in the hospital, after I had my appendix removed. There were serious complications which were caused by the hospital’s negligence. These complications left an ugly scar in my stomach, that does not only remind me of how painful it was, but the goal/plan I have to make a difference. In the same space of time, some people died from the same complications because they couldn’t afford to pay more medical bills to resolve the complications. This continues till today because of the high rate of poverty. The lack of good and affordable hospital in Nigeria is not considered an urgent need because it does not affect the wealthy, in the sense that they can afford to fly out of the country for medical treatments.
I want to be a life saver. The health of the Nigerian citizens is a priority to me especially the poor. I believe in the betterment of my country Nigeria, and I know I can make a change health wise. Health issues limit a lot of Nigerians to how much they can do. I grew up in a poor neighborhood amidst the poor people where sickness leads to starvation and to death, especially when the sick person is the bread winner of the house. Building an affordable hospital, will help to reduce the death rate among the poor.
Also, I want to be an employer of labor. The rate of crime in Nigeria increases by the day because of the rate of unemployment in the youth circle. Most of the Nigerian youths are involved in robbery, kidnapping, and internet fraud in order to make a living. And when it is talked about, they blame it on unemployment. Building a hospital in Nigeria, will create employment for some youths, which I believe will reduce the rate of crimes and corruptions.
Jewish Family & Career Services is dedicated to empowering refugees and immigrants to pursue their dreams. Our dedicated Career Services staff assist refugees, immigrants and their families in returning to their former careers through document evaluation, recredentialing and recertification. We also help individuals explore new career options and expand opportunities to build strong careers.
Jewish Family & Career Services is proud to honor our MOSAIC Award recipients. These five individuals who call Louisville home have made significant contributions in their professions and our community. To date, JFCS has recognized almost 70 refugees, immigrants and first-generation Americans who make our community richer and stronger for their work. We are excited to have Neeli Bendapudi, Di Tran, Berta Weyenberg, Kaveh Zamanian and Bapion Ziba join the ranks of these remarkable individuals.
This is Neeli Bendapudi’s story.
Neeli Bendapudi was born in Visakhapatnam, India and came to the United States in 1986 to pursue her doctorate in Marketing at the University of Kansas. After earning her PhD, she went on to teach at Texas A&M University and The Ohio State University before returning to the University of Kansas in 2011 as the School of Business dean and Professor of Business. While there, she was promoted to Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor.
With impressive academic credentials and noteworthy business and healthcare sector experiences, Neeli moved to Louisville in 2018 to take on the role of President at the University of Louisville. She is the University’s first permanent female President and person of color to hold the position.
As a well-regarded academic researcher and professor, her work has been published in the Harvard Business Review, Journal of Marketing and featured in multiple national media outlets including the New York Times. She has been recognized with both university-level and national honors and awards for her teaching and for her dedication to community.
She has sat on publicly held and non-profit boards and is a former Leadership Foundation Fellow of the International Women’s Forum, selected as one of 27 women representing 18 countries for this prestigious honor.
In her career, she has fought for equity and inclusion and in her time at UofL, has transformed the University’s culture, infusing a renewed passion in the city and community. Neeli continues to call on the university community and the Louisville community at large to celebrate diversity and foster equity in order to achieve inclusion.
Like Neeli, JFCS respects the undeniable humanity of each person. This sentiment is one of our guiding values, called Kavod. Every day our staff serve clients and their families with Kavod because we believe that to truly serve all in Greater Louisville, we must first understand their strength and their story.
Learn more about our other MOSAIC Award Winners and about the services and values JFCS provides to expand possibilities for each person and every family in Greater Louisville.