April is Volunteer Appreciation Month, and Jewish Family Services (JFS) is honoring its volunteers, including Sophie Shafter.
While Shafter has lived in many cities in her adult life, she has always focused on connecting with the Jewish community no matter the place. When she moved to the Kansas City area about eight years ago, it wasn’t until after COVID that Shafter found her new volunteer home with JFS through board member Courtney Landy.
“She and the JFS team were expanding leadership opportunities to develop a team of young volunteers through the Emerging Leaders program,” Shafter said. “The program has been a great way to volunteer with friends and peers while supporting the mission of JFS. I found JFS was the perfect intersection of building community while also giving back.”
Shafter has jumped in feet-first helping plan events and side projects with Emerging Leaders, including the group’s involvement with the JFS Hanukkah Project. She also found her way to helping with the JFS Food Pantry, which serves more than 400 families each month.
“Sophie has been a great addition to the Emerging Leaders,” said Melanie Hayden, JFS senior development director, who works with the group. “She's always ready to jump in and help at group volunteer opportunities and is warm and friendly to our clients and donors. She ‘gets’ JFS in a very special way.”
Shafter, who is a massage therapist and does freelance work in marketing and communications, volunteers to pick up and deliver fresh produce and other items donated by Whole Foods to the JFS Food Pantry. Shafter usually joins another volunteer at the Overland Park location where they load up.
“We pack in every inch of free space in our vehicles or the JFS transit van and drop off the goods at one of the two JFS food pantry locations — at the Jewish Community Center and Brookside. The last delivery was more than 1,200 pounds of food made available to our community,” Shafter said.
“Sophie tackles each volunteer opportunity [with] the spirit of gratitude and adventure,” added Jo Hickey, JFS director of volunteers and pantry partners. “It doesn't matter if it is raining buckets or sunny and 65 [degrees] — Sophie is there.” 
Shafter has made memories volunteering for JFS “from getting drenched in a rainstorm while loading 40-pound crates of produce for the food pantry to awkwardly wrapping gifts for Hanukkah as well as packaging diapers and more,” she said. Kansas City has provided so many opportunities to give back while connecting with a talented group of peers who have become good friends.
Shafter encourages others to consider volunteering at JFS.
“It does not need to be a huge commitment or even interfere with workday activities. Find some people you know who are involved and ask them about what they do,” Shafter said. “Whether it’s a weekend volunteer project to support JFS-affiliated organizations in the community or using your contact list to promote a digital drive for the food pantry, there are many flexible ways to get involved on your own time.”
Those wanting to learn more about volunteering at JFS can visit jfskc.org/volunteer or please email .