10/29/2025
A note from our CEO
Dear JFS Friends and Supporters,
From the moment JFS opened its doors, we made a promise that no one in our community would ever go hungry.
I still remember, nearly 30 years ago, during my very early days at JFS, one of our founding volunteers, Clair Bernstein, walked into my office and said, “No one should walk out of here hungry.” Not even a few hours later, she returned with a small three-shelf cabinet filled with nonperishables and cans of tuna, “for protein,” she said with a smile. That small act of love became the seed of our Nourish Food Pantry and, in many ways, the foundation of the JFS you know today.
For decades, because of your generosity, no one who has come to JFS has had to walk away empty-handed. Together, we have fed tens of thousands of neighbors of all ages, ensuring that every person in our care felt the comfort of community and the dignity of being seen.
But now, for the first time in three decades, we are facing a moment that threatens that promise, because the need will soon exceed the resources we have to meet it. On November 1, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (food stamp) benefits are projected to halt. This means nearly 34,000 community members will face an impossible choice: between feeding their children or paying for medicine, between keeping a roof overhead or keeping food on the table. These are choices that no one should ever have to make, choices that JFS has always worked to ease.
Food is not just nourishment. It is security, hope, and a basic human right. It is what allows a child to learn, an older adult to heal, and a family to move forward.
At JFS, we believe that every act of care is an act of justice. Our tradition teaches that when we provide for another person’s basic needs, we preserve their dignity, for without sustenance, there can be no stability or peace. As Maimonides wrote, “The highest form of charity is to support a person by strengthening their hand until they are no longer in need.”
Every day, our Nourish Food Pantry witnesses this truth. We meet people who have worked their whole lives, who never imagined they would need help, standing before us now, humbled and afraid, but also brave enough to ask. What they seek is not only groceries, but reassurance that they are seen, valued, and not alone.
This is a moment that tests the compassion and strength of our community. It is a time to remember that preserving human dignity is among the highest forms of righteousness.
Right now, we are facing a $350,000 gap, a shortfall that directly affects our ability to keep pantry shelves stocked and deliveries running. We need your help to fill this gap and ensure that not one person is turned away hungry.
To our friends, supporters, and partners, those who have walked beside JFS for years, I ask you, from the heart: please stand with us once again.
Your generosity today ensures that no one in Washtenaw County goes hungry, that every senior, child, and family retains their dignity, and that our shared values of compassion and justice continue to live through action.
With gratitude and hope,
Anya Abramzon
CEO, Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County
https://www.jfsannarbor.org/?form=nourish
