Demand up for JFCS Chanukah food programs

Nancy Masters doesn’t have an exact count of how many Chanukah food bags the S.F.-based Jewish Family and Children’s Services will distribute this year in Marin, but one thing’s for certain — demand has skyrocketed.

“What we’ve seen in Marin is similar to other regions,” said Masters, director of JFCS’ San Rafael office. “We have definitely seen a huge increase in need here. And we’ve responded to that need.”

During this year’s holiday outreach program, volunteers will assemble and deliver kosher chickens, vegetables and other Chanukah fixings to isolated seniors, disabled individuals, families in need and new émigrés throughout Marin.

Nancy Masters in the food pantry at the S.F.-based JFCS office in San Rafael.

While clients’ situations vary, Masters said JFCS is counseling people at risk of eviction or foreclosure, or who are in the midst of a frustrating job search. She’s also seen employees with reduced hours and disabled seniors whose government aid was slashed.

Yet, they often all have one thing in common — not enough money to buy groceries.

“First and foremost, we need to make sure they have food to eat,” Masters said, referring to one of the initial steps taken with new clients. “We’ve been able to provide the food to get them back on their feet and self-sufficient.”

Within the last fiscal year, the S.F.-based JFCS served more than 4,500 families and individuals through its food pantries in five Bay Area counties. With that figure steadily increasing, volunteers are always in demand.

In Marin, the Food Pantry Corps, a cohort of 25 volunteers, ensures certain staples are always in stock, namely peanut butter, cereal and canned tuna. The group also purchases special-request items such as low-salt and low-sugar foods. In addition, it donates toiletries and helps solicit handouts such as soap, shampoo and toothpaste.

Around the county, barrels for people to drop off non-perishable food and toiletries are a permanent presence at several Jewish organizations and agencies. Masters also suggested bringing food pantry donations directly to JFCS offices.

While JFCS of the East Bay doesn’t have a food pantry, the agency runs a holiday food program, now in its 20th year. On Rosh Hashanah, Passover and Chanukah, volunteers bring a fresh kosher meal and a bag full of kosher groceries to recipients in both Contra Costa and Alameda counties.

Volunteer coordinator Kathryn Winogura said she expects about 170 meals to be distributed for Chanukah, up roughly 15 percent from last year.

Unique to this season’s deliveries were a handful of requests from elderly individuals in need of basic kitchen staples, such as sugar and milk.

To supply meals for each of the three holidays costs JFCS around $4,500, according to Winogura, or $13,500 in total.

In the end, about 90 percent of the program’s costs (paying for groceries and catered meals) come as an expense to the agency. 

Even with funding from the local chapter of B’nai B’rith and the Koret Foundation, the agency “runs the program at a deficit,” Winogura said.

“I’d be happy if we had about $8,000 more per year,” she added. “Contributions truly go directly to buying food.”

The S.F.-based JFCS and JFCS of the East Bay are welcoming volunteers of all ages. For more information, visit http://www.jfcs.org or http://www.jfcs-eastbay.org.