How You Can Help

Ways to Give

The Federation has established a COVID-19 Response Fund to enable our donors and community to help meet both individual and organizational needs. Even as we assess the medium to long-range impact, we know these needs are already felt by our community organizations. Your support of this fund will enable a response to emerging community needs, with a view of the full ecosystem of Jewish organizations in the Bay Area.

You can also recommend a grant from your donor-advised fund to the Federation (Tax ID# 94-1156533). Please indicate COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund as the Grant Purpose. If you have a donor-advised fund at the Federation, click here to recommend a grant.

The Federation’s offices remain closed during shelter-in-place. Working remotely, we are still processing mail and sending out grantee checks and acknowledgment letters, but at a slower rate. Please consider making your gift electronically through wire transfer and emailing us any forms, as checks and documents mailed or faxed to our office will have further delays. For any urgent needs, please email daf@sfjcf.org.

Giving during a crisis can seem overwhelming; there are many choices to navigate. Our latest Giving Insights provides guidance on strategic funding approaches and identifies organizations that fit into several categories.

Bay Area Jewish Agencies

All of our Jewish agencies need your support at this time. The organizations below have urgent needs for based on their response to the crisis.

• Bay Area Jewish Healing Center is preparing for an increased demand for their services, and to deliver care and services intermediated by technology when necessary.
   
• Jewish Family and Children's Services and Jewish Family and Children’s Services East Bay are first responders to community members who are especially vulnerable during this pandemic emergency.
   
• The JCC East Bay, JCC of San Francisco, Oshman Family JCC, and Peninsula JCC have all closed their facilities. They have urgent needs for support to weather this period without earned income—and to be prepared to reopen when permitted.

Local Response

Bay Area Food Banks are providing food to those who need it most during this crisis and are experiencing unique challenges, including getting food to the families of children who normally get their only or main meal at school.

• Alameda County Community Food Bank
• Redwood Empire Food Bank
• SF-Marin Food Bank
• Second Harvest Food Bank

Glide’s Daily Free Meals program has been adjusted to utilize takeout containers to deliver hot meals three times daily. Their walk-in center services, including shelter bed reservations, continue via a triage desk in the lobby to avoid congregating unsafely in the building.

Larkin Street Youth is combating COVID-19 and the effects on the youth they serve. They are committed to providing essential services to young people during this time.

Tipping Point COVID Fund addresses increased needs for all of their grantees across the Bay Area.

Samaritan House in San Mateo is committed to fighting poverty and lifting lives amidst the COVID-19 outbreak and will be open and providing essential services as long as circumstances permit.

Some of our communities are also organizing funds to help address the needs of low-income families facing additional hardship from this crisis, including:

• The Oakland Students and Schools Fund through the Oakland Public Education Fund has an initial goal of $1.1 Million to ensure continuity of teaching, safe, clean spaces, and food for vulnerable families.
   
• Redwood City Education Fund has reached its initial $200,000 goal, although as this crisis goes on we expect this need to grow significantly.

Global Response

American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is supporting its partners in 19 countries to address the pandemic. In particular, they are monitoring the Cox’s Bazaar refugee camp with approximately 1 million Rohingya refugees who are extremely vulnerable.

IsraAID has initiated a Global Coronavirus Emergency Response focusing on mental health support for health care workers in China, Italy, and South Korea. They are currently also supporting urgent migrant and refugee needs in Greece and Venezuela.

The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) is the leading Jewish humanitarian organization, working in 70 countries to lift lives and strengthen communities. As the global Jewish 9-1-1, JDC's expertise and experience are needed now more than ever. They are addressing emerging needs and continuing to serve the tens of thousands of people who depend on them every day.

Volunteer Opportunities

• Jewish Family and Children's Services offers safe opportunities for Emergency Service Volunteers, including making phone calls to isolated homebound seniors through the Safe At Home program, and purchasing and delivering groceries, including special Passover Care Packages, to Holocaust survivors, other frail seniors, and homebound disabled adults.
   
• Jewish Family and Community Services of the East Bay is looking for volunteers to offer phone support to vulnerable, isolated community members, most of whom are older.