Your Support Makes a Difference
Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley relies on the generosity of individuals, local businesses and the broader community to support our mission to “help members of our community successfully meet the challenges of daily life by providing quality human services.”
Your contribution is the lifeline that allows us to touch so many lives. JFS SV welcomes contributions by check or credit card, stock donations, gifts through planned giving, and vehicle donations. Your contribution is tax deductible, and we will provide you with proper acknowledgement of your donation.
JFS SV also depends on the dedication of hundreds of volunteers each year. Opportunities abound for adults, teens, children, families, and community groups. For detailed information on volunteer opportunities, visit our Volunteer Page.
Embrace-A-Family 2012
Our thanks from JFS SV and all the people you helped during our 5th Annual Embrace-A-Family Giving Program, which engages the community in providing holiday gifts during Hanukkah to families in need. It was a truly successful effort, engaging adults and children in our community to help others. Your ongoing generosity and support for this program is warmly appreciated.
How caring people can help
- Federal employees and military personnel can support JFS SV through The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). Go to the CFC Norcal website and enter the code 17668.
- Donate gift cards of $25 - $100: gas, Target, supermarkets (Safeway, Trader Joe’s, Lucky) .
- "Double Donation" Opportunity: Jewish Family Services is working in collaboration with Yavneh Day School to provide gift cards to help families in need. What a lovely way to make your generosity count twice -- to benefit two very important Jewish organizations in our community! We're making it especially easy for you to participate in this program. Just click here for a donation form.
- Big-Hearted Birthdays: Participate in this special outreach effort, a program of Project N.O.A.H. Many of the families we serve benefit from Gift Cards. This is an easy way for you to help unemployed adults and families who need food assistance, gasoline for job interviews, and household goods. What better way to celebrate your own birthday than by asking friends to skip gifts and make a donation of a gift card to a local supermarket or gas station? Of course, whether it’s your birthday or not, your donation of gift cards is much appreciated. Thanks!
- Help Ensure That Needy Families Get Fresh Produce Weekly
JFS is partnering with the JCC to help feed our community. The Addison Penzak JCC is now accepting contributions towards purchasing two shares in TEVA, the CSA (community supported agriculture program), that will be distributed to families served by JFS. These families include Holocaust survivors, refugees, émigrés, and seniors who may not be able to purchase fresh food on their own. You can sponsor a share for a family in need. If you are interested in contributing the purchase of these shares, please contact Jenessa Schwartz at 408.357.7411 or jenessa@svjcc.org. - Volunteer as a Friendly Visitor, Chaplain Aide, ESL conversation partner, or deliverer of Shabbat or holiday food packages. (Call Cherie at 408.357.7467.)
- Donate new toys for Hanukkah and year round.
- Make donations in multiples of $38 for our Shabbat meal program
- Post your full and part-time job openings. (Call Helen at 408.357.7456).
- If your contribution qualifies for a corporate matching gift from your employer, you can obtain a Matching Gift Form from your company's Personnel Office and forward it to Jewish Family Services. This option makes your gift give even more!
- Create your own way of giving! Jewish Family Services was the recent beneficiary of the generosity of five women of Congregation Beth David -- Ruth Bareket, Deborah Eistreicher, Karen Fihn, Susan Gould and Barb Green -- who celebrated their B'not Mitzvah at Beth David on December 1, 2012. The decorations from the bimah and the tables at the reception after the service were food baskets, which were given to Jewish Family Services to distribute to families in need this holiday season.
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[l-r] Galina Chyorny, Karen Fihn, Barbara Green and Cherie Ravel share the joy of helping others with food baskets donated by Beth David's 2012 B'not Mitzvah class to JFS for distribution to families in need.
Designated Funds
If you wish, you may designate your gift to benefit a specific fund:
- Jewish Family Services Fund
Supports services to our local community. - Project N.O.A.H. (No One Abandoned Here) Fund
Provides emergency services for the most needy members of our community. - Harvey Belsky Fund
Wherever the need is greatest. - Burt Epstein Community Service Fund
Supports JFS SV collaborations with local groups to provide community service and other acts of tikkun olam. - Ursula Gusdorf Memorial Scholarship Award
Grants educational scholarships so that recent local refugees can pursue their education. - Addie and Ray Kopp Memorial Fund
Benefits programs for seniors and émigrés.
Shabbat Dinner Program
Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley is collaborating with Jerusalem Grill and Bar to provide Glatt kosher (and delicious!) Shabbat meals for needy members of our community.
JFS is now accepting donations ($38 will feed a family of 4; or provide 2 sets of meals for a senior couple) for this program. Caring café diners have become involved, too, sponsoring meals for families, as well as for seniors who appreciate a kosher, cooked meal. JFS SV volunteers deliver the meals when a family isn’t able to pick them up from the café.
JFS SV is now seeking meal sponsors: your $38 donation provides four meals. (The price includes a small fee for JFS SV to operate the program.) See flyer for more info.
Interested donors can send contributions marked “Shabbat Dinner Program” to JFS SV at the address below, or drop them off the JFS SV office on the second floor of the Levy Family Campus.


