Volunteer at JFS!

Last weekend, a group of more than 40 volunteers gathered at JFS to put together 600 goody bags for Reel Hope, the agency’s annual movie premiere fundraiser, and to sort Thanksgiving food generously donated by community members.

David Rabb, Weinberg Food Pantry manager, says, “These volunteers did a great job to create 250 baskets of Thanksgiving food. And to top it off, while everyone was working, many people came to drop off turkeys and other food for Thanksgiving. The response by the community in donating holiday goods was overwhelming and much appreciated by the Family Safety Net department and all of JFS. Also, a special thank you to the Denver Rescue Mission for donating 175 turkeys to the Food Pantry."

Today, the hard work paid off. By 7:00 a.m., an uprecedented number of people were lined up outside of the Food Pantry (which does not open until 10:00 a.m.) waiting to receive one of the many Thanksgiving baskets. 18 volunteers and 11 staff members, ranging in age from six to sixty, distributed baskets to approximately 152 households or 350 individuals in a three hour time span. For those of you paying attention to the calculations, you will notice we have about 100 baskets that were not given out today. No worries, we will give our clients these baskets on Christmas Eve.

Speaking of Christmas (or Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever you celebrate), we are in need of people who would like to adopt a family for the holidays. Through our Bright Holidays program, JFS clients make a wish list and individuals, families, and corporations purchase gifts the clients might not otherwise receive. If you are interested in participating in the Bright Holidays program, please email Shelly Hines.

Thanks again to everyone who donated time, food, or money in an effort to make Thanksgiving a wonderful holiday for all in our community. JFS greatly appreciates your help and so do the families who benefit from your kindness during these tough economic times.

--Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department

Help Brighten Another Family's Thanksgiving!

While you are shopping for your Thanksgiving dinner this year, please consider purchasing a few extra items (or even the whole meal) for a family in need in our community. The following items are needed and all food donations should be delivered to the JFS Weinberg Food Pantry at 3201 South Tamarac Drive by Friday, November 21st.

• Turkeys
• Foil roasting pans
• Canned yams or sweet potatoes
• Boxed mashed potatoes
• Stuffing mixes
• Pumpkin pie mix
• Evaporated milk
• Shelf stable pie crust
• Canned cranberry sauce or jelly
• Canned peas or beans
• Gravy mix
• Corn bread mix
• Boxed dessert mix
• Flour
• Sugar
• Oil
• Grocery store gift cards

While we are making this special appeal for Thanksgiving food, we need food donations all year long for the nearly 1,800 people/month that we serve through the Food Pantry. Please drop off donations in our food barrels at the JFS offices located in Tamarac Square Monday through Friday, 8:15 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. If you have any questions, please call (303) 597.5000.

--Kari Alpen and Alaina Green, JFS Marketing Department

JFS Named DGLCC Nonprofit of the Year

The Denver Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (DGLCC) named Jewish Family Service of Colorado (JFS) the 2008 Nonprofit Organization of the Year at last week's 12th Annual Gay and Lesbian Business Awards Dinner in Denver. This annual event honors Colorado individuals and organizations that promote gay-friendly values in the business community.

“Our team is honored to be recognized for our work in the GLBT community, an often overlooked population in our society, and we are proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish for GLBT seniors in Colorado,” said Cathy Grimm, JFS Senior Solutions director. “We enjoy helping this population and are privileged to accept this important award.”

Thank you to J.D. McCartney, CEO of Xstatic Public Relations, for nominating JFS for this prestigious award. We were nominated for the award because we help individuals with HIV/AIDS maintain their independent lifestyles by providing a safe and nurturing home environment through programs such as the Hearts and Hands Homemaker program and the JFS Senior Solutions program. We provide quality care specifically designed for the aging GLBT population to be sure seniors get the services they need without fear of discrimination.

JFS speakers have made presentations to a number of GLBT groups including GLBT Community Center of Colorado, Womyn’s Circle, Colorado GLBT Bar Association, Colorado Prime Timers, PFLAG Denver: Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, and participated in a GLBT panel hosted by Jefferson County Division of Human Services.

For more information about the Denver Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, visit http://www.denverglc.org/.

--Yana Vishnitsky, president & CEO

Yana Vishnitsky, JFS president & CEO; Annie Reilly, JFS Hearts and Hands Homemaker program coordinator; Cathy Grimm, JFS Senior Solutions director; and accepted the award at the awards dinner.

Out and About in Denver

During the past few months, JFS staff attended many community events ranging from Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure to the South Metro Chamber of Commerce Fall Expo.

Click here to see more photos of JFS staff out in the community.

The main goal of attending these events is to broaden the awareness of the programs and services that we offer while reiterating that we provide help to all, regardless of race, religious affiliation, gender, age, income, or sexual orientation.

We often find that people in the general community have misconceptions about who we serve. I don't know if you can read our shirts in this picture, but they say, "You don't have to be Jewish to access our services." We decided to wear these shirts to all our community events in an attempt to educate the public in a light-hearted manner.

Since we have such diverse programs and we are growing so quickly, I think there are several things that people do not know about JFS. For example, did you know that annually:

• 50% of the people we serve are not Jewish
• We touch the lives of over 20,000 clients and familes in metro Denver
• The Weinberg Food Pantry helps feed over 2,300 households in our community
• JFS provides counseling to public and Jewish schools, positively impacting over 2,400 students and their families, faculties, and staff
• Over 500 volunteers provide more than 16,000 hours of service to JFS
• SHALOM Denver processes nearly 1.8 million pieces of mail and packaged 450,000 products for nearly 200 business customers
• Our seniors services staff assists over 1,200 aged and chronically ill clients and their families

With your help, we can continue to improve lives and rebuild hope in our community by providing a single point of entry to a wide array of human services.

--Alaina Green and Kari Alpen, JFS Marketing Department