JFCS Spotlight - June 2023

We are half way through 2023 and food insecurity still persists in every municipality in Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic counties. Government initiatives, task forces, community groups, and agencies are all trying to tackle this profoundly serious issue. At JFCS, we are proud to be among those working to address our clients’ most basic needs. Yet we ask, how can we make a more permanent impact on those we serve? Here at JFCS, we approach food insecurity from the ground up.

Food insecurity is not always the root problem, but rather, it is often the symptom of something larger. Losing a job, mental health struggles, a physical disability, a person can experience trauma and, as a result of life circumstances and lack of resources, become food insecure. Our goal is to treat the symptom (food insecurity) along with whatever else might be contributing to our clients’ struggles. It is not uncommon for a client to come to us for our Corner Market Kosher Food Pantry and end up using one or more of our other services.

For instance, we recently helped a 32 year old mother of two young children who came to JFCS for help with food assistance after her husband became disabled in a car accident and could no longer work. Suddenly, the burden was placed on her to provide for her family. Her single income was insufficient, and she became increasingly stressed out about how she would feed her family. A friend referred her to the JFCS food pantry for help. When she told us her story, we knew we could be of more help than just giving her family food. We set her up with a case manager who helped her apply for government benefits she did not know she could receive. This supplement to her salary was a huge relief for her. We also recommended she speak with our Re-Launch department. She was thrilled to hear this was a service we offered because she had been feeling that she could do better than her current job but did not really know where to start. Our Re-Launch counselor assessed her skills and helped her work on her strengths: she had been working in retail customer service for years and had a pleasant way of talking to people. Our Re-Launch team was confident that she could find a higher paying job that highlighted her exceptional relationship-building skills. She received Re-Launch's full suite of services from resume and cover letter review to interview and negotiation practice. Three months after her introduction to JFCS, she has interviewed for several jobs and is hopeful for a future that includes a career that is more worthwhile. With her food worries being handled by the Corner Market, she can focus on and tackle the root issue - finding a new job that will provide what her family needs while adapting to the changed circumstances in her family.

Treating symptoms can provide essential relief to anyone who is struggling, but treating the issues at their source creates life-changing impact.

Dear JFCS family,

Summer has finally arrived and many of us are looking forward to vacation plans and opportunities to unwind and rejuvenate. For many of our clients, the stress of sheer survival for their families has no swift relief or resolution. There will be ongoing anxiety and pressure for them, but JFCS is here to help.

We all need food. For many of us, food, and our ability to access it whenever and however we wish represents security and safety. For parents, it is a fundamental responsibility to ensure that one’s children have the sustenance and nutrition that they both need and want. For all of us, it is a basic human need to eat and sustain our strength and health, and many of us take the food and supplies that we have in abundance for granted.

How is it possible that so many families and individuals suffer from food insecurity? It’s actually quite simple and rather scary. When “making ends meet," or when one’s bills exceeds one’s income and there is no financial safety net, it is often food and other supermarket items such as cleaning supplies, soap, and toothpaste that have to be sacrificed. The rent or mortgage must be paid, PSE&G does not wait, car and insurance payments must be made, medication and healthcare are necessities, and when nothing is left, a family or an isolated senior must scrounge.

At JFCS, our Corner Market Kosher Food Pantry becomes a huge part of the answer to how an individual or an entire family is supported in the moment and for as long as they need. We take it a step further and address other concerns or stressors in their lives through our other pillars of service. The goal is long term sustainability and enhanced quality of life.

So, as you enjoy your summer plans, feel good that your support of JFCS is helping other families and individuals just like you and yours, who have fallen on difficult times, to reach a better place, a place of satisfaction, health, and even joy.

With gratitude,

Susan