Featuring Jewish Family Services! - Food Gatherers...Featuring Jewish Family Services! Jewish Family...

4
JUNE 2015 PARTNER PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT Featuring Jewish Family Services! Jewish Family Services (JFS) was started in the late 1970s by a group of volunteers who observed a need in Ann Arbor to provide services for the rising number of Soviet Union refugees. Today, JFS continues to serve refugees from all over the world, as well as all individuals and families in need throughout Washtenaw County. JFS is CARF-accredited and while JFS has “Jewish” in their agency name, they serve everyone! JFS offers a vast number of services to meet their clients needs. Services include counseling, older adult services, transportation, citizenship classes, ESL classes, clothing, employment services, refugee resettlement and, of course, a food pantry! They even have Russian and Arabic translators on staff to assist their immigrant and refugee clients. For a full list of the services they offer, visit their website https://jfsannarbor.org/. JFS is a pioneer with the number of social services available to clients for long term assistance and their food pantry follows suit, offering food options that help meet both their clients’ nutritional needs and their cultural and religious needs. JFS offers products that are gluten-free, vegan, liquid nutrition, baby food, low sodium, dairy-free, as well as Kosher and Halal foods. They also have non-food products available such as paper products, personal hygiene items and adult and baby diapers. With the vast array of special foods and non-food items available, in addition to standard pantry items, JFS found themselves in need of a larger pantry. To address this need, JFS started renovations to create a new space for a larger pantry in June 2014. Prior to the renovation, the food pantry was a tiny hallway space. They now have two rooms that have more than quadrupled the size of the pantry, as shown in the picture above. The extra room increases their capacity to distribute more food items and allows for confidential, one-on- one interactions with staff/interns so JFS can treat clients with the privacy and respect they deserve. While the pantry is currently completed and functioning, JFS hopes to add a kitchenette to the pantry for doing nutritional workshops and food sampling in an effort to expand their nutrition education outreach. With such wonderful accomplishments and amazing plans in store, Food Gatherers is proud to help them serve the community! The new pantry at Jewish Family Services!

Transcript of Featuring Jewish Family Services! - Food Gatherers...Featuring Jewish Family Services! Jewish Family...

Page 1: Featuring Jewish Family Services! - Food Gatherers...Featuring Jewish Family Services! Jewish Family Services (JFS) was started in the late 1970s by a group of volunteers who observed

JUNE 2015

PARTNER PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT

Featuring Jewish Family Services! Jewish Family Services (JFS) was started in the late

1970s by a group of volunteers who observed a need in

Ann Arbor to provide services for the rising number of

Soviet Union refugees. Today, JFS continues to serve

refugees from all over the world, as well as all

individuals and families in need throughout Washtenaw

County. JFS is CARF-accredited and while JFS has

“Jewish” in their agency name, they serve everyone!

JFS offers a vast number of services to meet their clients

needs. Services include counseling, older adult services,

transportation, citizenship classes, ESL classes, clothing,

employment services, refugee resettlement and, of

course, a food pantry! They even have Russian and

Arabic translators on staff to assist their immigrant and

refugee clients. For a full list of the services they offer,

visit their website https://jfsannarbor.org/.

JFS is a pioneer with the number of social services

available to clients for long term assistance and their food pantry follows suit, offering food options that help meet both their

clients’ nutritional needs and their cultural and religious needs. JFS offers products that are gluten-free, vegan, liquid nutrition,

baby food, low sodium, dairy-free, as well as Kosher and Halal foods. They also have non-food products available such as paper

products, personal hygiene items and adult and baby diapers. With the vast array of special foods and non-food items available,

in addition to standard pantry items, JFS found themselves in need of a larger pantry.

To address this need, JFS started renovations to create a new space for a larger pantry in June 2014. Prior to the renovation, the

food pantry was a tiny hallway space. They now have two rooms that have more than quadrupled the size of the pantry, as shown

in the picture above. The extra room increases their capacity to distribute more food items and allows for confidential, one-on-

one interactions with staff/interns so JFS can treat clients with the privacy and respect they deserve.

While the pantry is currently completed and functioning, JFS hopes to add a kitchenette to the pantry for doing nutritional

workshops and food sampling in an effort to expand their nutrition education outreach. With such wonderful accomplishments

and amazing plans in store, Food Gatherers is proud to help them serve the community!

The new pantry at Jewish Family Services!

Page 2: Featuring Jewish Family Services! - Food Gatherers...Featuring Jewish Family Services! Jewish Family Services (JFS) was started in the late 1970s by a group of volunteers who observed

HEALTHCARE COVERAGE UPDATE

Are your clients still without healthcare coverage?

If any of the life events listed below apply to your client, they may be eligible for a Special Enrollment Period through the

Health Insurance Marketplace. This would enable them to still enroll in a 2015 insurance plan.

PANTRY SHOPPING WITH KATE AT JFS!

Marriage

Divorce resulting in loss of health

coverage

Having a baby, adopting, foster care

Gaining a tax dependent via court order

Survivor of domestic violence, victim of

domestic abuse or spousal abandon-

ment

Loss of health coverage in the past 60

days for anyone in the household. The

special enrollment period would apply to

the family as well, even if the family is

not losing coverage or previously

enrolled in coverage.

Medicaid/Marketplace transfer

problems

Released from incarceration (jail or

prison)

Gaining citizenship or lawful presence in

the U.S.

Marketplace system error/

misrepresentation by an enrollment

Assister

Immigrant families who did not all get

tax credits (until July 31, 2015)

Corner Health Center ~ 734-484-3600

HIV/AIDS Resource Center HARC ~ 734-572-9355 ext. 233

Manchester Community Resource Center ~ 734-428-7722

Packard Health ~ 734-971-1073

Regional Alliance for Healthy Schools ~ 734-998-5785

St. Joseph Mercy Health System (Ann Arbor, Brighton, Chelsea) ~ 855-753-4726

University of Michigan Health System (Appts. 8:00am – 8:00pm) ~ 877-326-9155

Washtenaw Health Plan (Spanish and Arabic speaking assisters) ~ 734-544-3030

*The Medicaid Expansion program is

ALWAYS open for enrollment.

Need help enrolling? The following agencies offer free, in-person,

confidential help with enrollment:

How long have you worked for JFS?

I started at JFS in February 2014 as a clinical social worker,

coordinating an intensive case management program for

refugees called “Preferred Communities.” In July 2014, I was

promoted to Manager of Clinical and Community Services and

have had the fortune of running the JFS food pantry as a part of

that position.

The beauty of my current role is that I still get to interact with our

refugee population, as well as many other community members in

need, through food pantry and other programming at JFS.

What do you find most challenging?

The most challenging thing is helping clients see all that they can

do with fresh produce, meats, canned items, etc.

Recipes are key and I want to invest more time in preparing recipe

cards for clients to take with them when they take the ingredients.

Who inspires you to be a better person?

In my day to day life I look up to my Directors at JFS. Anya

Abramzon (Executive Director), Elina Zilberberg (Associate Director)

and Sheree Askew (Clinical and Community Services Director) are

female powerhouses and have so much knowledge, dedication

and heart that they give to JFS and the Washtenaw community.

They inspire me everyday because they genuinely care about each

and every client served, as well as every staff member.

If you could change one thing about how our society helps

those in need, what would it be and why?

I believe it is difficult for our society to be preventative and think

ahead to the future. Most assistance available is structured to be

utilized only once a crisis is already occurring, not to entirely

prevent the crisis. I often feel that our policies and systems keep

the oppressed in a place of oppression and this only continues a

cycle.

What if we could put measures in place to assist families and

individuals before the crisis? Preventative care is so important and

I’m always grateful when I see other social workers and community

members devoting their time and energy to advocacy and ensuring

success for all of Washtenaw County.

Kate Papachristou hanging out in JFS’s new pantry!

Page 3: Featuring Jewish Family Services! - Food Gatherers...Featuring Jewish Family Services! Jewish Family Services (JFS) was started in the late 1970s by a group of volunteers who observed

IT’S FARMERS MARKET SEASON!

WEBWINDOW INVENTORY SPOTLIGHT

Product Information:

Packaging: 12/24.5oz (6 of each)

Price/Case: $9.00

Category: Purchased Food

Reference Number: 703834

Sweet Harvest Fruit Jars Variety Pack Tropical Mix/Pineapple

YOU’VE MADE THE FRONT PAGE!

Ypsilanti Farmers Markets are now open and have a new location! Where and When? Downtown (16 South Washington St.) Tuesday from 3-7pm

Depot Town (100 Rice St. in the Plaza) Saturdays from 9am-1pm

The Ypsilanti Famers Market has changed their downtown location to 16 South Washington St and it will now be called the “Ypsilanti

Farmers MarketPlace.” At this new location, there is a large historic warehouse that they are hoping to use for an indoor market during

rainy days and winter months which will allow it to become a permanent, year-round farmers market. Learn more about the

MarketPlace at Patronicity.com/YpsiMarketPlace or contact Amanda Maria Edmonds, Executive Director of Growing Hope, at

734.330.7576.

Ypsilanti Farmers Market encourages agencies or anyone to

purchase Market Dollars (tokens that are $1 coupons) for their

clients to use on anything in the market! Corner Health Center

participates in this so their teens can shop the market for healthy foods using their

Market Dollars!

Ypsilanti Farmers Markets accept the following forms

of payment:

SNAP/EBT/ Bridge Cards (Double Up Food Bucks!)

WIC Project FRESH

Senior Project FRESH/ Market FRESH

Prescription for Health

Hoophouses for Health

Inter-Market Tokens

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Most EBT

tokens and the Double Up Food

Bucks tokens do NOT expire.

You can bring them back to the

market from week-to-week or even

season-to-season to spend at

the market.

The front page of the Food Gatherers website now has quick links for partner programs to find the infor-

mation they need! On the front page of http://foodgatherers.org/ scroll down to find the section, “Partner

Program Information,” which features the following quick links:

Online Ordering

Alerts & Documents

Gatherings- Partner Program Newsletter

Becoming a Partner Program

Have any comments on how user-friendly our

website is? Direct them to Kristie at

[email protected]

You already know it’s important to have at least 5

servings of fruit and vegetables a day. With Sweet

Harvest Fruit Jars, it’s easier than ever to get your daily

servings of fruit. There’s no cutting, peeling or mess!

Just open the jar and taste the goodness of ready-to-eat

fruit! With a convenient, re-sealable lid, you can easily

save your fruit for later too!

FOOD GATHERERS FRIENDLY REMINDERS!

Don’t forget about summer food! Last month, we featured

Food Gatherer’s Summer Food Program in our

newsletter. If you have any questions or if you are interested

in downloading a flyer for the Summer Food Service

Program, visit our Summer Food website at

http://foodgatherers.org/summerfood or contact LeRonica

Roberts at [email protected]!

Haven’t had a chance to purchase a ticket for

Food Gatherer’s famous picnic, Grillin’?! Don’t

worry there is still time before the June 14th

event! Visit www.foodgatherers.org/grillin or

call (734) 761-2796 to purchase your ticket

today!

Interested in volunteering at Grillin’? Email us at

[email protected] to sign up!

Page 4: Featuring Jewish Family Services! - Food Gatherers...Featuring Jewish Family Services! Jewish Family Services (JFS) was started in the late 1970s by a group of volunteers who observed

1 Carrot Way Ann Arbor, MI, 48105

www.foodgatherers.org 734-761-2796

[email protected]

Made with love by the Community Food Programs Department Markell Miller, Manager of Community Food Programs Department Markell is currently on maternity leave so please contact LeRonica Roberts for any issues regarding your food bank orders, delivery profile, billing, new program inquiries, and any concerns or program challenges. LeRonica Roberts, Community Food Programs Coordinator, [email protected] Please contact LeRonica with questions regarding your food bank orders, the Summer Food Service Program, delivery profile, billing, new program inquiries, site visits, and any concerns or program challenges. Diana Beltran, Meal Program VISTA, [email protected] Please contact Diana with issues regarding site visits, pantry shopping, and civil rights training. Erin Freeman, Food Access VISTA, [email protected]. Please contact Erin with questions regarding Food Gatherers’ website edits, Webwindow photos, recall emails, SNAP outreach, demographic data collection, and ServSafe Training. Kristie Khatibi, Food Access VISTA, [email protected] Please contact Kristie with questions regarding the Healthy School Pantry Program, Gatherings, Hunger Referral Guide, and pantry shopping.