JFS News Archive

Thank you to Gail and Harry Himmelstein for their generous donation to the JFS 120th anniversary campaign to support the organization’s older adult services! The gift establishes the Harry and Gail Himmelstein Older Adults Endowment Fund, housed at the Jewish Community Foundation. "It was time to do something that we knew would boost JFS up and put it toward an area we feel strongly about,” ... read more

Save the Date! The JFS 120th Birthday Bash will take place at the Jewish Community Center on Sunday, April 23, 2023! More details TBA! ... read more

JFS Offices are closed from December 24 - January 2. For the first time ever, JFS will be closed for the last week of the year. Our dedicated JFS team has tirelessly gone into overdrive the past three years to care for our community during very challenging times. To recharge and show appreciation, this break will allow staff to start the new year fresh. JFS staff will be monitoring our ... read more

Dear JFS Family, I wanted to let you know that I have made the difficult decision to retire later this year. I have loved the last 15 years at JFS, working with all of you to improve the lives of thousands of families each year. JFS has such an incredible community; you all have taught me so much about how to help people in ways that I knew little about before I came to the ... read more

“JFS helped me so much. They helped me financially, they helped me find what I needed.” —Don, long-time JFS client Don first came to JFS through his wife Hannah, a Holocaust survivor who was already receiving assistance to help cope with the trauma of her early life. A Kansas City native and Navy veteran who served in duty stations all over the United States, Don supported Hannah through ... read more

Barnetts provide acts of lovingkindness as JFS Spiritual Care Volunteers For Lori and Paul Barnett, the mitzvah of Bikur Cholim – visiting the sick – has been part of their weekly routine for almost a decade. The Barnetts are Spiritual Care Volunteers (SCVs) through Jewish Family Services Chaplaincy program. Since becoming part of the program, this dynamic duo has brightened the day of dozens ... read more

With the official open enrollment period underway for health insurance, including Medicare and its benefits, do you have questions? Jewish Family Services can help you in wading through the details. Kelly G. Loeb, JFS’ older adult care manager, is happy to meet with members of the community to answer some questions. The deadline for making changes to Medicare enrollment is Wednesday, December ... read more

Did you know that each month, Jewish Family Services provides more than 800 families with food and non-perishable items through the two locations of its food pantry? Food drives help ensure our guests have a wide variety of items to select from and keep expenses down. While JFS is happy to accept any shelf-stable food or personal care items, for the most needed items for November, we are ... read more

As we approach cooler fall weather, most of us are fortunate to be returning to a life that looks pretty normal – filled with family, friends, school, and social activities. But for many of our clients at Jewish Family Services, the long-term effects of the pandemic are still very real -- leaving them struggling to afford food and basic necessities, dealing with isolation and mental health ... read more

Food insecurity in the Kansas City area affects almost 1 in 5 families. But more families are turning to food pantries because of rising inflation that is straining household budgets. With higher prices for housing, gas and especially food, many families are truly struggling to put food on their table. At the same time, food pantries like JFS are trying to meet these needs while coping with ... read more