Jewish Family Services
Jewish Family Services of Ottawa (JFS) is a full service, non-sectarian agency serving residents of the greater Ottawa area. We offer more than 65 programs and services to children, youth, adults and seniors, be they individuals, couples, families or groups. In the spirit of “Tikkun Olam,” our mission is to strengthen Jewish individual, family and communal life, and to strengthen individual, family and communal life in the greater Ottawa community. The mission is accomplished through direct social service, partnership, and advocacy.
Volunteers are needed in numerous areas, including:
Miriam’s Well + Kosher Food Bank Deliveries: Volunteers who are interested in delivering fresh produce to clients once a month are welcome to be part of this program. Pickup is at KBI from 2-4pm on the last Monday of the month. Routes are created so that the driver does not need to drive around town. Usually, routes consist of two to four clients.
Friendly Visiting: Requests come in constantly from members needing a visitor or a friendly caller for an isolated senior. Weekly, bi-weekly or ad-hoc opportunities are waiting to be filled by someone with a little time and a lot of heart. Matches are made based on personality and interests so that it’s an enjoyable experience for all. Chat over coffee, take in a show, have a nice phone call – you can make someone’s day!
TeleShalom: We need volunteers to make daily morning reassurance calls to isolated seniors. Each call takes approximately two to three minutes and can be done from your home, office or cell phone.
Special Interests: From time to time, we receive requests for people who share common interests, like knitting, crocheting, sports, gardening, etc. If you have an expertise to share with someone in need, please let us know. We can always use special skills to teach clients new things as well.
Russian ESL/English Enhancement: New Canadians who need practice speaking English, or assistance deciphering Canadian cultural nuances are always looking for mentors. We also recruit volunteer facilitators to run our ESL Russian classes on Mondays and Thursdays. We are always in search of people who speak Russian and are willing to help our client
