Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) is hosting its annual signature luncheon with nationally renowned Rabbi and author, Sharon Brous. During the intimate and thought-provoking conversation led by JFS CEO Michael Hopkins, Rabbi Sharon Brous will explore the topic of human connection and its power to transform the way we think, feel, and live. Learn more at www.jfssd.org/luncheon.

San Diegans can now order a week’s worth of healthy meals with a side of enriching conversation, both crucial for San Diego’s rapidly growing older adult population. Healthy at Home, a new local meal delivery service powered by Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS), offers fully prepared frozen meals and wellness checks for adults living in 40 zip codes throughout San Diego County. Learn more at healthyhomesd.com.

Jewish Family Service of San Diego‘s annual signature luncheon returns, this year at the Hilton La Jolla at Torrey Pines, on Thursday, November 2 with nationally renowned Rabbi and author, Sharon Brous, for a discussion on human connection. Learn more at www.jfssd.org/luncheon.

Healthy at Home, a new local meal delivery service powered by Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS), offers fully prepared frozen meals and wellness checks for adults living in 40 zip codes throughout San Diego County. Trained Healthy at Home drivers from Jewish Family Service will verify the individual is home and do a general assessment for any health or safety concerns that should be shared with an emergency contact. Learn more at healthyhomesd.com.

Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) is hosting its annual signature luncheon at 12 p.m., Thursday, November 2, with nationally renowned rabbi and author, Sharon Brous, for a discussion on human connection. Tickets for the event can be purchased for $90, which will fund impactful Jewish Family Service programs and resources made available to the greater San Diego community. Learn more at www.jfssd.org/Luncheon2023.

A nonprofit called Miles4Migrants is turning donated points into free flights for asylum seekers who’ve arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border in south San Diego County. “Our sense is that 98% of individuals actually have a point of contact or loved one outside of San Diego that they’re looking to connect with,” said Kate Clark, Senior Director of Immigration Services at Jewish Family Service of San Diego. Donate miles today by clicking here.

With growing numbers of migrants arriving in San Diego County in recent weeks, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to declare a humanitarian crisis for asylum seekers at the border and request more federal support. More than 8,100 migrants have been dropped off in the region in the last two weeks, according to the county — an influx county officials say shows no sign of slowing. The increase in the number of migrant arrivals in recent weeks is the first significant influx reported since new asylum restrictions were introduced in May when hundreds of migrants waited between the border walls for the end of a pandemic-era immigration policy that blocked asylum seekers and other migrants from entering the U.S. Kate Clark, senior director of immigration services at JFS, spoke to why we were at this moment at this time. View the page in the print edition of The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Sol Kempinski, JFS Director of Philanthropy, and his wife Debbi, Associate Development Director at the San Diego Jewish Academy, hosted an Israeli high school graduate in their home as part of a program organized by the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and the Jewish Federation of San Diego County. Peleg Menachem, who stayed with the Kempinski family, was one of ten Israeli students who visited San Diego while taking a gap year before entering the Israeli Army (IDF).

JFS’s Foodmobile program has been awarded a $40,000 community grant from the Grossmont Healthcare District to help support residents in Eastern San Diego County.

On-site medical services, including dental checkups, are now available at JFS’s Safe Parking lot in Encinitas, where JFS staff also works to provide a pathway back to stable housing for people living in their vehicles. The Encinitas City Council was updated about the new medical program while reviewing the Encinitas Homeless Action Plan.

California’s Governor Newsom is awarding a grant to Jewish Family Service of San Diego to fund anti-hate programs. In response to a plea from dozens of Jewish leaders, he also issued a letter to state educators about ethnic studies and cautioned school administrators against using courses that promote bias and bigotry.

JFS and the Center for Jewish Care will be conducting our annual High Holy Days Community Food Drive from September 10 to October 10. Non-perishable food will be collected at local synagogues and Jewish community organizations, as well as JFS’s Joan & Irwin Jacobs Campus on Balboa Avenue.

JFS is one of the wellness-focused nonprofit organizations working in the East County awarded a grant from the Grossmont Healthcare District. The goal of the grant program is to help meet the non-medical needs of the community to improve long-term health results.

JFS is opening a new Safe Parking lot at Vista’s Civic Center that will include supportive services to help individuals and families find a pathway back to stable housing.

Kate Clark, JFS Senior Director of Immigration Services, says that what’s often missing in political conversations about immigration is empathy for migrants as human beings. “If there was more of a focus on the humanity behind this issue, maybe others would better understand the challenges that are faced,” she says, “and be more comfortable moving forward with welcoming policies.”

Dana Toppel, JFS’s Chief Operating Officer and founder of “Make Work Work for Moms,” is advocating for better support systems for working moms. She encourages people to urge elected officials and companies to invest in high quality childcare solutions. And she is urging leaders of organizations to review flexible work arrangements—including flexible hours and job-sharing—along with dependent health care and paid family leave.

JFS is hosting a free DACA Day on Saturday, September 9, to help individuals with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status renew their applications. ”Since the inception of DACA in 2012, JFS has assisted over 1,000 individuals with their DACA applications and renewals,” said CEO Michael Hopkins. “We have seen firsthand how Dreamers build a stronger, healthier, more resilient San Diego.”

JFS’s Safe Parking Program is partnering with TrueCare, a nonprofit community health center with mobile clinics, to provide medical and dental screenings for people experiencing homelessness in northern San Diego County.

JFS’s new board chair Deborah Bucksbaum outlines how JFS is going to address affordable housing. “There are so many people who can’t afford housing who have jobs,” Bucksbaum said. “It is not an issue of people not working. It is an issue of housing simply being too expensive and people not making wages that are high enough to cover their basic living expenses.”

Watch JFS volunteer Marti Eisenberg in action at the Corner Market at JFS! Marti knows first-hand how special the Corner Market at JFS is and she loves finding little food treasures to point out to the families who shop here.

More families who need help putting food on the table are turning to The Corner Market. JFS is getting an increased number of calls for help with food assistance because of the end of pandemic-era benefits and the rising cost of living, according to Tom Stewart, JFS’s Director of Division Operations, Nutrition Services. Shoppers at The Corner Market can select nutritious foods free of charge based on a point system. Instead of being handed a bag full of food, people have “a dignified experience of going shopping for themselves,” said Stewart, and “get to choose what works best for their family.”

On the podcast, Rabbi Philip Graubart and Ali Viterbi sat down with Michael Hopkins, CEO of Jewish Family Service of San Diego to discuss Deuteronomy 15:11 and our responsibility to open our hands to “the poor and needy kin in our land”.

JFS announced our new board chair, Deborah Bucksbaum, who succeeds Emily Jennewein, at our annual meeting at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD). During her tenure on the board, Deborah advocated for affordable housing and formed JFS’s housing committee. New board members include: Nadia Farjood, litigation associate with O’Melveny & Myers; Seth Krosner, trauma and critical care surgeon at Scripps Mercy Hospital; and Adam Rosenthal, partner and employment attorney with Sheppard Mullin. Outgoing board members include: Kira Finkenberg; former board chair Adam Welland; and Karin Toronto. Treasurer Sheldon Derezin was given the Charles Zibbell Board Leadership Award. Winners of the Henrietta Rubenstein Staff Award: Tania Garcia Aguirre, of JFS Safe Parking; and Luis Gonzales, JFS Immigration Legal Services. The Board Chair’s Award went to JFS’s Welcome the Stranger efforts, including: the San Diego Raid Response Network (SDRRN), Immigration Legal Services, and refugee resettlement.

JFS has named Deborah Bucksbaum as its next board chair, succeeding Emily Jennewein. New board members include Nadia Farjood, a litigation associate with O’Melveny & Myers; Seth Krosner, a trauma and critical care surgeon at Scripps Mercy Hospital; and Adam Rosenthal, a partner with Sheppard Mullin. During JFS’s annual meeting, treasurer Sheldon Derezin was given the Charles Zibbell Board Leadership Award. and two JFS staff members—Tania Garcia Aguirre, of JFS Safe Parking, and Luis Gonzales, of Immigration Legal Services–each received the Henrietta Rubenstein Staff Award.

San Diego Business Journal (SDBJ) recognizes JFS CEO Michael Hopkins as a finalist for 2023 CEO of the Year.