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Brownstein Jewish Family Service

Brownstein Jewish Family Service provides individuals and families with quality information and referrals of community-based services to enhance their independence and emotional and physical wellbeing.

Brownstein Jewish Family ServiceHelp in Crisis

JFS fielded over 1,300 phone calls from people of all ages looking for help with every conceivable problem:

  • financial and marital crises
  • job loss
  • bereavement
  • caregiver support
  • domestic violence
  • cuts in welfare benefits,
  • mental health issues

Brownstein Jewish Family Service2We get many calls from people who are “falling through the cracks” and:

  • living on fixed incomes
  • out of work
  • in debt
  • not poor enough to qualify for state or government programs

They are really struggling to pay for the basics, including food, housing, oil and gas.

In the past year, over $30,000 in aid was given to individuals and families in need. We strive to make a positive difference in the lives of the most vulnerable people in our community, and let them know that they have not been abandoned by the Jewish community.

Love & Knishes

  • Love & KnishesThe Love and Knishes Lunch Program served almost 2000 hot kosher meals at 34 lunches this past year, averaging 59 people per week.
  • Over 600 different people age 60 and better from many neighboring towns enjoyed the Love & Knishes lunch, entertainment and lectures.
  • The program provides a delicious and healthful meal, fellowship and a variety of informative, entertaining and insightful programs.
  • Blood pressure checks are offered twice a month, and referrals to support groups and other programs are made when needed.

flu shotCommunity Health

  • Three flu clinics served 137 people.
  • The popular “Dialogue With the Docs program featured The Alzheimer’s Answer Book with Dr. Charles Atkins and attracted 65 people.

 

Support and Caregiving Programs

  • Rabbi Dovid SteinThe Holocaust Survivors and Second Generation Group, which serves almost 100 people, celebrated 10 years of programming. The Yad Vashem Names Recovery Project was launched this year and volunteers collected more than 70 names of those who perished in the Shoah.
  • Dozens of people in hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities received visits from the Brownstein JFS Chaplain, and they enjoyed receiving holiday cards and food packages as well. Rabbi Dovid Stein is the new Brownstein Jewish Family Service Chaplain. To arrange a visit, please call Rabbi Stein at 203-465-9064 or call the Federation office at 203-267-3177 ext. 105.
  • Scores of community members attend a monthly Alzheimer’s support group and 21 people participated in the four-week Alzheimer’s Caregivers’ Course.
  • Our part-time Russian Resettlement Coordinator continues to assist and counsel dozens of the 200+ people we have helped to resettle over the past 24 years.
  • Bereavement support was offered with “Help—My Friend is Grieving and I Don’t Know What To Do” and “Surviving the Holidays Without Your Loved One”.
  • Two Sandwich Generation programs attracted over 60 participants.
  • The CT Department of Social Services Benefits Bus offered 50 community members Medicare Part D screenings and benefits checkups for seniors, saving many of them hundreds of dollars per year.

Feeding the Hungry

  • Federation Food PantryOur Centerpieces for Tzedakah baskets generated almost $2,000 to purchase grocery gift cards for people in need in our community.
  • At Passover, holiday food packages and dozens of grocery gift cards were distributed to over 100 individuals and families in our community.
  • Over 40 people of all ages walked with the Federation Feet Team in the annual Walk Against Hunger in Waterbury, raising almost $3,000 for area food pantries and soup kitchens. Others helped contribute hundreds of pounds of food for United Way’s Stock the Pantry food drive.
  • Our Community Resources Expo helped 40 people fill out applications, many of them for food stamps, and learn about programs to help them during these tough economic times.

Centerpieces for Tzedakah
Tzedakah basketsCelebrate your special occasion with lovely, festive centerpieces rented from Brownstein Jewish Family Service. You'll help provide food gift certificates for people in need in our community and you'll get a 100% tax deduction too! Call for info and to see samples.

  • Our Centerpieces for Tzedakah baskets generated almost $2,000 to purchase grocery gift cards for people in need in our community.