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Adopt a Family

tikkun olam – repairing the world

The JFFS Adopt a Family program allows our community to reach out and help families and individuals in severe economic distress.

During major holidays, while others are celebrating, these families are wondering how they will put food on their tables and clothe their children.

In 2012, our community stepped up to the plate and adopted 300 families, allowing us to provide 499 individuals with gift cards, Thanksgiving dinner and/or holiday gifts. This mitzvah meant the world to heartbroken neighbors, some of them alone and destitute, others facing devastating illness, and many more unable to provide happy holidays to their children.

Every year, we ask individuals, sisterhoods, congregations, schools –every Jewish organization – to please contribute to this life-affirming campaign. During major holidays, we match donors and donor groups with specific families.

During the rest of the year, we collect funds and giftcards to help those who are in immediate crisis.

Here's how you can help:

Donate online to Adopt a Family

Every dollar goes directly to pay for food, gasoline and other needs of families in crisis. Click here to make a secure donation with a credit card.

Donate by check

Payable to JFFS with "Adopt a Family" in the check memo. Mail to Adopt-a-Family, JFFS, 1 Federation Way, Suite 210, Irvine, CA 92603, or drop it off at our offices on the Samueli Jewish Campus in Irvine.

Donate a gift card, or multiple gift cards

Most needed are gift cards for groceries (Ralphs, Smart and Final, Albertson's, etc.), gasoline, and retail stores (primarily discount retailers like Target, Wal-Mart, etc).

Gasoline Cards

Because the cost of gas is so high, transportation costs are causing many of our families to choose between driving to a critical destination, such as a job training class, or putting food on the table.

Host a Gift Card Drive

Organize a gift card drive with your havurah, sisterhood, neighbors, colleagues or any other group of people who want to help people in crisis. Call Marcia at (949) 4350-3460 for more details.

If you mail us gift cards, please be sure to:

Provide your name, address, telephone number and email in the same envelope, so we can properly thank you for your donation.
Note the value amount on the card or its packaging.
Mail gift cards to JFFS, 1 Federation Way, Suite 220, Irvine, CA 92603.

We now also accept new toys, clothes and other baby or children's items. Please note that we cannot accept used items for the Adopt-a-Family program.