JFS Food Drive & Sort Builds Community and Improves Food Access

Food is a basic human need. But with skyrocketing inflation and the continued erosion of our country’s social safety net, many people in our community struggle to afford enough food to feed themselves and their families.

Since 1892, Jewish Family Service (JFS) has stood as a beacon of hope for individuals and families in the Seattle area as they face life’s challenges. When SNAP food benefits were suspended last year (for the first time in history), our generous supporters gave $200,000 so that we could distribute grocery gift cards to more than 1,300 of our clients. Since then, there have been additional cuts to SNAP, along with policies that make it more difficult for people to access food.

In Washington State, 75,000 households saw reductions in their monthly SNAP benefits. More than 30,000 legally present immigrants and up to 137,000 people who haven’t met the new work requirements may now be now excluded from SNAP.

More individuals and families in our community are relying on food banks like ours. JFS has been providing free food for close to 100 years. And this year, the JFS Polack Food Bank is feeding more people than ever before. We saw a 45% increase in visits to the food bank this year, compared to last year. This summer, we provided healthy food to 337 people at the food bank in a single day – the number of clients we used to serve in a week.

At the same time, it’s becoming harder than ever to keep our shelves stocked. Funding, and food donations from the organizations that provide food to our food bank, are plummeting. And $1 billion in cuts to USDA programs means fewer healthy staples for food banks and schools.

That’s why the JFS annual Community-Wide Food Drive and Sort is more important than ever. The food drive started on September 11 and culminates in the Food Sort on October 18. Over the next few weeks, many local synagogues and other groups are hosting food drives to collect food for the Food Sort. And for those who can’t organize a food drive or make it to the Food Sort, they can buy food from our Amazon Wish List.

The Food Sort is a hands-on opportunity for individuals, families, and groups to sort and organize thousands of pounds of donated food for the Polack Food Bank. Each year, volunteers help us provide healthy food—with dignity and respect—to neighbors throughout the Puget Sound region.

At the Polack Food Bank, thousands of people who need food can choose from a variety of fresh produce and culturally appropriate foods, including kosher food. Additionally, our home-bound neighbors have access to healthy food through our home delivery programs.

At JFS, we remain fiercely committed to ensuring our most vulnerable neighbors do not go hungry, fand we could not do that without the unwavering support of our community.