The numbers are rising...
There are so many in our community who are facing unemployment, depression, loneliness, food insecurity and/or mounting financial stressors. Rest assured, our JFS staff are rising to meet these needs. See below for a service delivery update and client stories:
Since March 18, 2020:
 
JFS Intake has had a  260% increase  in number of calls for our services.
 
The number of requests for  Financial Assistance  has increased by  8x.
 
In one month, Kosher Home Delivered Meals provided  899 nutritious meals  along with a weeks’ worth of shelf stable groceries to Older Adult clients, an  increase of 36% in meal delivery. 

We've seen a  28% increase  in the number of tele-health therapy sessions for existing clients.
 
There has been a  563% increase  in activity on our  JFS LinkedIn  due to job seekers  looking for resources for networking and employment  with our Career and Financial Services.

Click here to join the conversation with our Career and Financial Coaches on LinkedIn.
 
We are still moving families escaping domestic violence into  available transitional housing  and/or referring to shelter partners.
The JFS Food Pantry will reopen with new measures in place beginning May 1
For the last month we have continued to feed clients remotely by providing grocery gift cards, helping them to shop online and/or providing them with information on other partner drive up locations. 
 
Beginning this Friday, May 1,  the JFS Food Pantry will reopen, to provide contactless food distribution to more than 200 families.  After this week, our distributions will continue to be one time per week, but on Thursdays.  We will be handing out pre-packaged food boxes from our partner, the North Texas Food Bank.
 
The drive thru distribution will be run by staff only at this time.  We appreciate your support and desire to volunteer. Due to our very limited space in the pantry and in support of social distancing guidelines, we want to minimize the number of people working in the pantry. As we begin the process of more fully reopening the pantry, we will send out notifications to our volunteers as to how they can help.
PLAN, a program of Jewish Family Service, is dedicated to providing comprehensive support toward a meaningful life in community for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness and their families year-round. We wanted to share with you a message from one of the PLAN Clubhouse, PLAN @ 1121 Rock, members:

"I have said in the past that I would have been in the hospital if it weren’t for PLAN resources. During the COVID-19 pandemic the use of the daily conference calls that have been initiated have provided us with vital connection/services, such as:
  • Providing a daily structure that extended to the format of the calls themselves
  • Giving us a sounding board to express our fears and emotions
  • Giving us a sense of community and camaraderie
  • Underscoring that there is strength in numbers
  • Providing the comfort of the connection to the PLAN staff generalists

The peer-led evening class has been particularly helpful to me, as we have had fewer participants and have had greater time to share. In these calls, we build upon an extension of our relationships inside and out of the Clubhouse by providing mutual support to one another through this pandemic. Thank you!"

Sharing a special thank you we received
"I'm a 70 year old grandmother who has custody of my grandchildren. I'm currently homeschooling them with the help of one of my neighbors. As you can imagine, it's hasn't been easy. Before the pandemic, we were just settling into how our boundaries and behaviors would be together. Once this all started it felt like our progress came to a screeching halt. There is stress in the house and fear of the unknown, let alone parenting and teaching under these very challenging circumstances. I'm so glad that I have been able to get emotional support and referrals through my phone sessions with [my counselor]. They were even able to give me gift cards to Kroger to offset our increase in food costs since we're all home together.

Thank you to everyone at JFS who continues to help me and so many more in situations like mine. This agency is so special."

-JFS Client
To receive any JFS services please call our Intake line at (972) 437-9950 x340.
For 70 years, Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas has welcomed anyone through our doors regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or the ability to pay. Our mission is to provide effective, accessible and comprehensive mental health and social services that promote lifelong self-sufficiency and well-being for the Greater Dallas community.

Our licensed and professional staff offer a wide range of mental health and social services, all accredited by the Council on Accreditation. 
5402 Arapaho Dallas, Texas 75248 I 972.437.9950 I  www.jfsdallas.org
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