Our Programs and Services

The variety of services we provide, and the depth of our referral network to other area agencies, uniquely position Syracuse Jewish Family Service to provide complete and coordinated services to individuals of all faiths, ages and cultural backgrounds.

Kosher Meals On Wheels

Syracuse Jewish Family Service is the only provider of home-delivered Kosher Meals On Wheels in Onondaga County.

Delicious kosher meals are delivered to those who are unable to cook or go grocery shopping for themselves. Program participants must be either over age 60, disabled, or unable to shop or prepare meals for themselves due to illness, recent hospitalization, etc.

Respite meals are also available for clients and their caregivers by arrangement.

For more information, to sign up for meal service or to volunteer as a KMOW driver or delivery assistant, please call Zarita Hack at SJFS - (315) 445-0820, ext. 230 - or send an email to hackz@sjfs.org

Solutions

Solutions assists seniors and disabled individuals in coping with household bills and paperwork.

Solutions staff can pay household bills, balance bank statements, read and write personal correspondence, and assist with completing applications, claim forms and other official paperwork.

If you or your loved one feels confused by insurance companies or service providers, needs help preparing or gathering personal and household paperwork for an attorney or accountant, or needs some assistance in pulling together an organized system of household accounts and records, Solutions can help.

For more information or to make an appointment, call Judi Torres at (315) 445-0820, ext. 221, or send an email to torresj@sjfs.org.

Community Links

Families and individuals often face challenges that require outside assistance. Community Links can provide information and referral to a network of more than 100 existing community agencies and programs providing assistance with:

  • Childcare
  • Summer camps
  • Helmets/Child car seats
  • Legal assistance
  • Substance abuse
  • Domestic violence
  • Continuing education/GED
  • Vocational training
  • Job search
  • Client advocate with government agencies
  • Medical care
  • Health insurance for children and families
  • Counseling and mental health
  • Applying for food stamps, WIC and other benefits

If you or your loved one has an emergency need for food, closing, household goods or furniture, our Community Links program can help. Working in cooperation with the Temple Society of Concord Food Pantry, we can assist families and individuals with emergency food needs, clothing, household goods and furniture.

Community Links can also help obtain information and referral that is sensitive to the special needs and considerations of Jewish individuals and families.

Student internships are available.

For assistance in any area, or to make a donation of unwanted but usable items, please call Lisa Paul at SJFS - (315) 445-0820, ext. 225 - or send an email to paull@sjfs.org.

EISEP (Expanded In-Home Service for the Elderly Program)

Expanded In-Home Service for the Elderly Program (EISEP) can offer non-medical services to seniors in their own homes to help them maintain their independence and remain in the community. Non-Medicaid eligible persons, age 60 and older, who have functional impairments and unmet needs may be eligible for EISEP.

EISEP clients receive case management (including client evaluation, care plans, coordination of services and periodic monitoring and reassessment), and can access housekeeping and chore assistance, personal care, respite care, and ancillary services (installation and monitoring of a Personal Emergency Response System or Lifeline).

EISEP program is offered in partnership with the NYS Office of Aging.

For more information, call SJFS - (315) 445-0820 to speak to Pat Hayward (ext. 805), Cathleen Webster (ext. 228), Rob Hoston (ext. 229), or Diane Seidenfus (ext. 226).  They can also be reached at the county EISEP program at (315) 435-2362, or by email at admin@sjfs.org, websterc@sjfs.org, hostonr@sjfs.org, or seidenfusd@sjfs.org

At-Risk Care Management

The At-Risk Care Management program assists families in coping with the changes that often face older family members and/or those with disabilities. Through meetings with clients and their family members, the care manager will:

  • assess the current situation
  • develop an individualized plan of care
  • recommend needed services and available care options
  • assist the client and family members in accessing needed services
  • provide ongoing monitoring and assessment.

In a crisis situation, our staff is able to quickly assess the immediate need, recommend a course of action and assist in accessing needed services.

For out-of-town relatives, our care manager is an informed and involved advocate for the best interests of both client and family.

For more information or assistance, call Lisa Paul at SJFS - (315) 445-0820, ext. 225 - or email paull@sjfs.org.

Individual and Family Counseling

Individuals struggling with loneliness, depression, or life-cycle transitions may need additional support and guidance. Families may need assistance with care decisions for their loved ones, grieving, or coping with change.

A clinical social worker is available to counsel individuals, couples, and families. Most medical insurance is accepted and services are available on a sliding scale.  For information, contact Mike Sude, Ph.D. at (315) 445-0820, ext. 227, or email sudem@sjfs.org.

S.O.S. - Serving Our Seniors

Volunteers and staff members perform basic grocery shopping and errand services for homebound seniors and individuals with disabilities. Clients of the program may accompany the shopper if their general health and condition allows this to be done safely.

Costs for such services range from $7 to $12 per hour, depending on the service requested.  For information, or to volunteer, call (315) 445-0820, or email admin@sjfs.org

Other Services

Syracuse Jewish Family Service works to improve the family life of both the Jewish and general communities of Central New York. Agency services are available to all persons who desire assistance, and most offered on a sliding scale to help low-income persons obtain assistance.

Project Chaver

   Caring, personable volunteers are matched with homebound seniors who benefit from home visits, reassuring phone calls, and help with errands.  For information, call (315) 445-0820, or email admin@sjfs.org

Senior Companions

This program links older adults with other seniors for lively and meaningful interaction. These visits also provide respite time for caregivers.  For information, call Lisa Paul at 315-445-0820, ext. 225, or email paull@sjfs.org

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteers are the lifeblood of any not-for-profit agency - and SJFS is no exception. Whether you are looking for a volunteer opportunity for yourself, your family, or your company, SJFS has a host of opportunities:

  • Kosher Meals On Wheels needs drivers on a regular or fill-in basis. The need is particularly great on holidays and in the winter.
  • Project Chaver provides a friendly visitor to a homebound senior or individual with a disability. If you are looking to develop a long-term relationship, look at Project Chaver.
  • S.O.S. needs volunteers to shop for groceries and run errands, either with or without our seniors.
  • Community Links needs volunteers to assist at Temple Society of Concord food pantry, pack food boxes, shop or pick up at the Food Bank of CNY, launder or mend donated clothes, and assist in picking up donated household items and furniture.
  • We are also looking for volunteers to assist with special events, office support, and more.

To volunteer with any of these programs, call Lisa Paul at SJFS - (315)445-0820, ext. 225 -  or email paull@sjfs.org.

Donations

For more than 100 years, Syracuse Jewish Family Service has helped to improve the health and well-being of families and individuals, Jewish and non-Jewish, in Central New York.

We work with some of the most vulnerable members of our community - seniors, individuals with disabilities, and struggling families. But we could not accomplish this work without the help of our volunteers, the members of our volunteer Board of Directors, and the generous donors - both individual and organizational - who support our work. 

How can you help?

There are three ways we can help others: with our time, our talent and our treasure. Your gift of any of these three can help make a positive difference in our community.

Your time spent visiting with a homebound senior or grocery shopping for a person with disabilities can show them that they are not forgotten.

Your talent can help us accomplish more - help us host a better fundraiser or organize an effective database.

Your treasure, in the form of tax-deductible donations, can help us to help others, as well as help provide services for the less fortunate through our sliding fee scale.

To learn how to can help, call Lisa Paul at SJFS - (315) 445-0820, ext. 225 - or send an email to paull@sjfs.org. For information regarding donations, contact Mitch Jaffe - (315 445-0820, ext. 222 - or email jaffem@sjfs.org. To make a pledge online, click here.