September 21, 2020
The Mercer County Turkey Trot, hosted by Rounview Capital, will be held virtually November 21 – 29, 2020. The event supports food pantries and food banks in Mercer County including the JFCS Mobile Food Pantry and on-site pantry.
Registration is now open! Join Team JFCS at registration and help us be the Biggest Bunch yet again.
We hope this note finds all our community members healthy and well. During times of uncertainty and disruption, we often find comfort by reconnecting with our roots. In the past months, many folks have literally returned to their hometowns and the security of their family home.
As we approach this most-unusual High Holiday season, we hope you, too, find comfort in connecting with your roots – to the familiarity of Jewish traditions, rituals and values. There is stability and control to be found in marking this New Year, like we have so many times before, and defining a new beginning for ourselves and our community.
In these challenging times, JFCS remains firmly grounded in our guiding principles of Help, Hope and Healing. By remaining true to our principles, we have been able to adapt to the changing needs of our clients and grow in line with our mission. These concepts also work to help connect us with our Jewish roots.
HELP …a concept most often associated with mitzvot and Tzedakah (charitable giving). From a young age, we become familiar with the importance of performing acts of kindness and making charitable donations. Helping others, specifically those most in need, becomes an ingrained habit.
HOPE… L’Dor V’Dor (from generation to generation) for Jewish families: this is the thread that connects us to those who came before and those who will come after us. There is hope that every time we share our values, traditions and history, the next generation will carry forward these lessons and build upon them. We constantly look forward with hope.
HEALING … Tikkun Olam – repairing the world. In the Judaism, we learn that we have a responsibility to see beyond individual acts of kindness and to contribute to broader change to heal what is broken in our local, national and global communities.
In honor of the New Year, ask how can I help? How do I help others find hope? How can I help heal my community?
Help a neighbor by volunteering to make calls to a local, isolated senior, or donate $50, which can support one week of Kosher Meals on Wheels for a homebound older adult.
Give hope to those who are struggling emotionally by directing them to the JFCS Drop-In hours, or making a contribution of $500 which can support someone in need of ongoing counseling.
Be part of healing the increasing food insecurity in Mercer County by organizing a food drive for the JFCS pantries, or make a gift of $5,000 which can fund two Mobile Food Pantry distributions, reaching 100 families.
Reconnect with your roots and make a gift to JFCS that honors the values embodied in Help, Hope and Healing. Your generosity will aid those most in need – a gift marking a transition to a new start.
Wishing you the peace, prosperity, health and happiness rooted in our celebration of the New Year.
Michelle Napell, Executive Director
Arlene Pedovitch, Board President
September 10, 2020
JFCS held a virtual Funders Forum for our most dedicated supporters of agency food pantries and food distribution programs. The presentation shared how drastically the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the need for food across the world, including in Mercer County.
According to Feeding America, by the end of 2020, the food insecurity rate in Mercer County is expected to rise to 13.6%. This means over 50,000 men, women and children in our county will be food insecure.
JFCS also used the forum to share the impact our agency has made through our Mobile Food Pantry, on-site pantry and distribution programs.
View the entire presentation here:
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Hake, M., E. Engelhard, A. Dewey, C. Gundersen (2020). The Impact of the Coronavirus on Food Insecurity [Brief series]. Available from Feeding America.
Kenneally, B. (2020). America at Hunger’s Edge, New York Times Magazine.
US Department of Agriculture, (2019). Definitions of Food Security. Available online.
August 28, 2020
The Jewish High Holidays begin in one month. The celebrations of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, mark an important time for the Jewish community. Families and friends gather for large meals to celebrate together, synagogues welcome in hundreds from the community to observe. However, like so many significant events, COVID-19 has disrupted plans for the High Holidays.
With the prospect of Zoom gatherings and streamed services, it can be difficult to manage our emotions and feel prepared to mark these days of celebration and reflection to the fullest.
On Thursday, August 27, Andrea Gaynor, LCSW and Beverly Rubman, Chaplain, will co-host “Holiness at Home: Observing the High Holidays Outside of the Synagogue.” The webinar will examine the many ways in which Elul, the month preceding Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, presents opportunities to prepare both spiritually and psychologically. Also, they will discuss how to make High Holiday virtual services more personally meaningful and relevant.
August 4, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the demand for food in Mercer County. Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County (JFCS) maintains an on-site food pantry, the Yvette Sarah Clayman Kosher Food Pantry, which offers fresh and frozen options in addition to shelf staples to anyone in the community who is in need of groceries at this time.
Since March 2020, the pantry has seen double the usual demand each month with regular clientele relying more heavily on this resource, and increasing calls from community members who suddenly find themselves in need due to job loss or other financial crises.
“For those who were already vulnerable and food insecure, the challenges to safely and regularly accessing healthy food options have been compounded by COVID-19,” said Beth Englezos, Manager of Hunger Prevention at JFCS. “As benefit programs reach their end dates, we anticipate a further increase in need and are prepared to handle the rise in demand.”
The JFCS pantries normally offer a choice model, where clients are invited to select food products they know their families will eat and enjoy. Due to COVID-10 health and safety guidelines, JFCS is operating a prepared bag model where community members can set up a time for no-contact pick up of a pre-packed bag of groceries which includes non-perishable items, as well as fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese and chicken.
Where to find the JFCS Pantry?
Our pantry is located at 707 Alexander Road, Suite 204 Princeton, NJ 08540. The office is located just off of Route 1 and accessible via NJ Transit Bus Route #600/Carnegie Center stop.
How to set up a pick up time?
Call our offices at 609-987-8100 Ext 237 to set up a pick up time. Staff is available Monday – Thursday 9 AM – 5PM and Fridays 9 AM – 4 PM.
Featured in Town Topics July 29, 2020 Edition – Senior Living Section
The majority of older adults prefer to “age in place” in the homes and communities they have lived in for most of their adult lives. But how do you know if remaining in your home continues to be a safe place? What if family and friends are no longer nearby? In particular, the pandemic has brought more scrutiny to these concerns about staying safe in your home, when home is the safest place for seniors.
This is where the JFCS Geriatric Care Management team can step in to help. Our caring team of professionals can offer guidance, solutions, advocacy and a full spectrum of support for older adults.
Begin with a comprehensive care consultation that assesses everything from home safety to reviewing which legal, medical and financial documents should be readily accessible.
Following your assessment, we can provide long-term assistance through Secure@Home, an aging-in-place, membership program. This non-sectarian program offers seniors the resources to remain independent, comfortable and safe in their homes for as long as they wish. Membership benefits include care management, 24/7 emergency phone availability, information & referral, transportation options, monthly hellos and more.
Want to learn more? Call 609-987-8100 or visit www.jfcsonline.org/senior-services
July 29, 2020
Town Topics featured our Mobile Food Pantry six month highlight in their July 29, 2020 print issue.
See us on Page 4 of the Digital Issue.
July 27, 2020
In June 2019, Michelle Napell, Executive Director of Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County (JFCS) announced the idea for a new venture – a mobile food pantry which would deliver nutritious food directly to those in Mercer County vulnerable to food insecurity and hunger. Six months later, the JFCS Mobile Food Pantry was on the road.
Since January 2020, the JFCS Mobile Food Pantry has benefitted more than 6,000 individuals across 40 distribution stops.
“We launched in January and made three stops, which served about 350 individuals, by the end of February,” said Michelle Napell. “Then March came, and with it the COVID-19 pandemic that changed the dynamic of our community. The mobile pantry became an incredibly valuable resource as demand for food increased as well as the obstacles in getting food to those with the greatest need.”
The pandemic increased demand for food in Mercer County, especially for the elderly and other vulnerable populations. JFCS ramped up the mobile pantry distribution schedule and forged a number of new partnerships.
“At the start of the shutdown, we connected with our existing partners and made sure that the local health departments, school districts, and community agencies knew about our resources,” said Beth Englezos, Manager of Hunger Prevention. “It is incredible to see how word continues to spread through the network of community and service agencies in Mercer County. We receive new calls each week from potential distribution sites.”
The network of partners has reached 8 of the 12 municipalities across Mercer including East Windsor, Hightstown, Lawrenceville, Princeton, Robbinsville, Trenton, West Windsor, and Yardville (Hamilton). Distribution locations include churches, low-income housing, low-income senior housing, day care centers, housing for adults with disabilities, and several local schools to support their students receiving Title I benefits. The Mobile Food Pantry is making three distributions stops per week.
The JFCS Mobile Food Pantry was designed to take the healthy-choice pantry experience on the road to partner locations where there would be a captive audience in need of this support. Due to COVID-19 health and safety guidelines, the mobile pantry and brick-and-mortar pantry, located at JFCS’ Alexander Road offices, now provide pre-packed bags of food.
Staff from the Paul Robeson Charter School for the Humanities (Trenton, NJ), who organize the “Panther Pantry” to support students and their families, help JFCS staff unload a delivery of pre-packed bags of groceries to be distributed to their students.
“While we had to eliminate the choice option for the safety of staff, partners and those we serve, JFCS remained committed to offering healthy food options,” said Englezos. “We broadened our supplier network and recently we’ve been fortunate to have corporate supporters provide large-scale donations of Kosher food, including nutritious fresh and frozen products.”
For six weeks from July through August, Novo Nordisk, in partnership with their corporate food supplier, Sodexo, facilitated weekly deliveries of fresh, frozen and shelf-stable food products to JFCS for use on the mobile and on-site pantries.
“The Novo Nordisk and Sodexo connection is just one example how our existing funding partners have demonstrated innovation and generosity during these difficult times,” said Napell. “We deeply appreciate this support, especially the adherence to our Kosher guidelines.”
Representatives from Project Freedom, a network of housing developments for adults with disabilities and financial need, in front of the JFCS Mobile Food Pantry on a distribution stop.
Staff and teachers from Town Center Elementary School (West Windsor Plainsboro School District) helped at the distribution stop, one of several sponsored by Firmenich.
The brick-and-mortar pantry, [Yvette Sarah Clayman Kosher Food Pantry] and mobile food pantry, are kept Kosher in line with the agency’s Jewish roots, however both are open to the broader community regardless of background or faith.
“At the roll out, we anticipated a gradual increase in weekly stops over our first few months. The pandemic tested our capabilities and I am proud to say the team rose to the challenge,” says Napell. “We are preparing now to develop the processes and funding to get our mobile pantry on the road five days a week.”
NOW THROUGH AUGUST 14th!
Whether in school or at home, let’s continue to help children in need start the school year off right!
Our goal is to supply 150+ children with the supplies they need to look forward to beginning a successful school year. Items donated benefit the children of JFCS pantry and partner agency clients in the Greater Mercer community.
Help us by donating:
3 Ways to Donate
Thanks to our special sponsor of this event: Hill Wallack LLP
July 10, 2020
Summer 2020 is bringing to light new challenges for all in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Where many programs are reduced in size or cancelled entirely in light of health and safety guidelines, all ages are left with more time filled with uncertainty, isolation, and stress.
Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County (JFCS) is expanding mental health services to meet the changing needs of the Mercer County community.
“For the past few months we have been focused on getting information out into the community,” said Michelle Napell, JFCS Executive Director. “Many people were facing unprecedented mental and emotional health concerns. And for those managing ongoing mental health conditions, the challenges were even greater. We knew at the time, the priority was broadcasting insights and advice from our counselors out to as many individuals as possible.”
Since late March, JFCS has provided free, weekly webinars open to the broader Mercer County community. Topics included dealing with anxiety, stress management skills, and issues tailored toward youth and teens such as coping with the loss of routines and other missed experiences. In addition, the counseling team has blogged about additional, topical mental health concerns.
“As time wore on, it was clear what people were needing most was connection,” continued Napell. “We are now combining our mental health care expertise with the desire for social interaction with the introduction of virtual support groups led by the counselors.”
JFCS already maintained a virtual Caregiver Support Group for older adults caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, or other chronic illness. The virtual model proved successful and was well received by Caregiver Support Group members which paved the way for the clinical department to develop new groups.
“We identified the target populations that would most benefit from support groups based on what our counselors were hearing from their clients and concerns expressed by community members on the Drop-In calls,” said Shirley Bellardo, LCSW, LCADC.
The first session of the Social Support Group, a group targeted for older adults and seniors who are feeling isolated, was held on Thursday, July 9. Seven local seniors joined in and had a positive conversation, sharing resources and support.
“One group member expressed dismay at missing weekly card games with friends, immediately another member offered to play cards online with this person,” said Bellardo. “Another member shared that she has ‘traveled the world’ with virtual tours offered online; two others from the session will be joining her on the next ‘trip.’ The connections and comradery were almost instantaneous and demonstrated how much this interaction is needed by seniors.”
The groups will run weekly or biweekly based on the response from the community. All groups are offered free of charge and on drop-in basis; there is no multi-session commitment required by attendees.
For individuals who prefer to connect one on one, JFCS continues to offer Drop-In Hours. Drop-In Hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 10 AM – 12 PM and Tuesdays and Thursday 5 – 7 PM. Callers can reach a counselor at 609-987-8100 and Dial 0 to be connected to an available counselor.
For more information about program offerings, visit the JFCS website or call at 609-987-8100 Mon-Thurs 9 AM – 5 PM and Fridays 9 AM – 4 PM.
