When Our NeighThe Safety Net Starts with Us, JFCS’ response to SNAP cuts

The Safety Net Starts with Us

At Jewish Family & Career Services (JFCS), we’re seeing firsthand the ripple effects of the ongoing SNAP benefit cuts. This week, more individuals and families have turned to the Sonny & Janet Meyer Food Pantry for help, parents trying to stretch paychecks that no longer cover groceries, seniors choosing between medication and meals, and children feeling the strain of hunger at home. As these government safety nets shrink, JFCS steps in to ensure no one faces hunger alone.

Your support makes that possible. Every dollar and every can of food helps sustain our community’s most vulnerable neighbors through this uncertain time. But as shelves are refilled and families are fed, JFCS’s work continues, because food insecurity rarely stands alone.

Behind every visit to the pantry is a deeper story, a job loss, a health challenge, an unexpected expense. That’s why JFCS exists not only to meet immediate needs but to walk with clients toward long-term stability through counseling, career services, family support, and care for older adults.

Meeting the Moment and the Future

Last year, more than 2,400 individuals and families turned to JFCS for help, a number that continues to grow. Food pantry requests rose by 20%, and mental health referrals surged, particularly among young adults and families. JFCS also reached nearly 600 Jewish individuals through targeted outreach, reaffirming our commitment to serving the Jewish community while welcoming all who seek support.

Rarely does someone come to us with only one challenge. A single mother may seek career counseling and discover food support. An older adult’s family may request transportation help and find connection through volunteer companionship. A young person in therapy might also find direction through career guidance.

This “wraparound care” is what makes JFCS unique, helping people move from crisis to stability, and from survival to self-sufficiency.

“JFCS has always been about creating certainty in uncertain times,” said Dr. David Finke, Chief Executive Officer. “Whether someone is facing food insecurity, mental health challenges, or job loss, JFCS helps individuals and families address multiple challenges and move from crisis to stability.”

Why Your Support Matters Now

The need for interconnected services is growing as cuts to essential programs deepen the gaps in senior care, immigrant and refugee support, food access, and rent assistance. The JFCS Annual Campaign ensures that our agency can remain flexible and responsive — meeting emergency needs today while building long-term pathways to stability tomorrow.

Your gift to the Annual Campaign does more than stock shelves. It sustains counseling for those in crisis, job coaching for those rebuilding, and care for older adults seeking safety and companionship. It allows JFCS to remain a reliable, trusted source of help, one that adapts as our community’s needs evolve.

“Community donations make up the difference,” Finke said. “They help us keep families in their homes, food on the table, hope within reach, and help here when it’s needed most.”

Be the Difference

This is the moment to make a difference. With rising needs and limited funding, every dollar counts, keeping our pantry shelves full, our counseling services accessible, and our programs for families, immigrants, and older adults running strong.

Our Annual Campaign fuels this work year-round, ensuring that when one safety net falters, our community’s strength rises to meet the need.

“Our community’s strength has always come from our willingness to show up for one another,” said Finke. “For many, this campaign is more than a fundraising effort, it’s an invitation to join in Tikkun Olam, repairing the world, one family at a time.”

How to Give

Gifts to the JFCS Annual Campaign can be made easily and securely online, by mail, or by phone. Donors may also give through a donor-advised fund (DAF), IRA qualified charitable distribution, or employer matching gift, all of which count toward the campaign goal.

Together, we ensure no one faces hunger or hardship alone, and that hope is always within reach.

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