Jewish Family Services of Greater Kansas City (JFS) has released its 2020 Gratitude Report, A Year of Extraordinary Caring, highlighting the explosive growth of the organization in meeting the needs of the community.
All of JFS’s core services substantially increased, including:
KesherKC – 122% increase in clients who received social work support
Food Pantries – 99% increase in families helped
Mental Health & Education – 50% increase in counseling sessions
Older Adult – 55% increase in care management clients, with the Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care program impacting 512 people.
The report also highlights other key outcomes – more than 10,000 people were assisted by JFS in 2020.
“JFS never missed a step in serving our community,” said Don Goldman, JFS executive director and CEO. “We didn’t stop, and in fact, grew our services and organization significantly in the past year.”
KesherKC provided social work support for 872 individuals. Seventy-two percent of JFS’s clients were enrolled in one or more of its programs. Approximately 745 individuals received financial aid totaling $878,374.
The JFS food pantry, which has locations in Overland Park and Brookside, went from serving 759 families in 2019 to assisting 1,511 families in 2020.
JFS did this while following COVID-19 safety protocols with touchless pick-up and delivery as well as hosting community food drives to meet the increased need. One in three of JFS food pantry families have pets, and JFS was able to provide their furry friends with sustenance too, distributing 555,134 pounds of pet food.
Mental health issues jumped to the forefront of JFS’s focus. JFS provided 4,247 counseling sessions virtually to ensure the safety of the clients and therapists. The YouBeYou teen mental wellness and suicide prevention program continued to work with 16 schools in the metro area. JFS also launched an online Wellness Video Library providing the community with education and support.
Older adults faced immeasurable challenges during the pandemic. Scores of volunteers reached out to older adults by phone through a new Calling Connections effort. Care packages were delivered, and care managers checked in regularly with clients to assure they had food, medications and a friendly ear to listen to their concerns.
“We launched innovative programs such as our TechConnect pilot for isolated older adults and developed protocols to keep our clients especially safe,” Goldman said.
Through its Chaplaincy program, 512 people received spiritual care, with more than 1,964 visits provided by JFS’ Jewish Community Chaplain or its team of Spiritual Care volunteers.
“We could not have kept up with the extraordinary uptick for services if it had not been for extraordinary caring of the community. The generosity of our donors, volunteers and community partners provided us with the resources necessary to nimbly meet the increased calls for help,” Goldman said.
Although all JFS services and programs were virtual or contactless, volunteers remained an important part of the organization’s success. More than 320 volunteers contributed 6,597 hours to the agency.
While the report indicates 2020 numbers, the need for JFS services continues; the number of individuals being served by JFS is not decreasing.
Individuals and families in Kansas City are struggling with food and financial insecurity and mental health challenges. Older adults are relying on JFS services to help them become more active and less isolated after a year of isolation. For many, life still seems overwhelming.
“The challenges of 2020 have made us wiser, more resilient and better prepared to support individuals and families struggling with economic and mental challenges,” Goldman said.
