The St. Paul Jewish Federation has announced that Jewish Family Service of St. Paul (JFS) will receive a total of $80,000 in grants from its St. Paul Jewish Community Campaign for COVID Relief, Yad B’Yad.
The funds will be used to provide additional financial assistance, support the Kosher Meals on Wheels program, start-up costs for adding a part-time therapist to the Counseling and Mental Health department, and funding for an additional staffing in the employment assistance program. The grant will help with increased requests for emergency financial assistance of 250 percent; call volume increase of 300 percent; and an 85 percent increase in requests for Kosher Meals on Wheels, all occurring in March 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic.
The Federation launched the Yad B’Yad campaign in mid-November 2020, securing $424,000 in commitments in eight weeks. Yad B’Yad continues to support programs that provide emergency financial aid, food assistance, trauma support, mental and physical health and safety, education and professional training services, as well as safety measures for frontline workers, and resources as a result of being laid off or furloughed.
