NCJW NY is a place that provides support, sustenance, and education every day.  For those who do not have enough to eat, NCJW NY is a place to be welcomed with dignity and warmth, a place where there is no hunger. Older adults know that NCJW NY is a place to learn, explore, grow – and perform! Those who are struggling with the effects of death and the difficulties of life know that NCJW NY is a safe and supportive environment where they are understood and can heal. Members of our community rely on NCJW NY to inform them on issues that affect their lives – reproductive rights, child welfare, and health care reform – and to keep them apprised of action and advocacy opportunities. NCJW NY creates a space for women, children, families, and older adults to develop themselves and to serve others.

Click here for all past bulletins.

NCJW NY currently provides a wide array of community services for those in need, including:

Hunger Program  |  Council Lifetime Learning |  Social Work  |  Pregnancy Loss Support Program | Lunch, Interaction, Nurturing, & Companionship

Back 2 School Store  |  Children’s Literacy Program  |  Jewish Women’s Resource Center  |  Jackson-Stricks Scholarship

HUNGER PROGRAM

Over one million New Yorkers have difficulty affording food. They are out-of-work families with children, elderly people who live alone, and the working poor who cannot afford to pay for both rent and food. They are also the homeless who live in shelters or on the streets. In response, our programs provide nutritious and wholesome food served in a friendly, hospitable manner.

The Food Pantry during COVID-19

Our Monday Food Pantry provides a three-day emergency supply of both fresh produce and shelf-stable groceries to families in need.  The Pantry is open on Mondays only, between 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. If you have any questions, please call Rita at 212-687-5030 x 463.

Our twice weekly Community Kitchen provides a hot, delicious meal to all who need it.  Patrons of the Community Kitchen sit down to a hot meal or, alternatively, may take away a brown-bag meal.  Meals are served on Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. and on Sundays at 11:30 a.m.  All are welcome at the Community Kitchen, and guests can come as often as they like.

We’re able to provide a nutritious meal for only $1.50, so every dollar counts as we work to fight hunger in our city.

We’re currently looking for more volunteers for the Hunger Program. To learn more about the requirements and how to volunteer, click here.

COUNCIL LIFETIME LEARNING

We are excited to welcome everyone back to Council House safely. To help us keep everyone safe, you must review NCJW NY’s COVID safety policies (updated 2023) before coming to an in-person class, as they detail specific requirements to attend.
Classes are first-come first-served, and enrollment will be limited due to COVID-19 safety measures. Classes may be cancelled, re-scheduled or changed to a virtual format at any time due to safety concerns.

Each year, more than 500 seniors participate in a broad range of programming offered by Council Lifetime Learning, which includes everything from art and exercise classes to engaging lectures and discussion groups. Our programming is based on the philosophy that arts and culture are a uniquely effective way to engage and empower older adults, building on their interests and strengths to maintain connection and vitality as the aging process continues. We help seniors to defy the stereotypes associated with growing old and to continue learning and growing into their 70s, 80s and well beyond.

Our broad range of programming includes:

  • Art classes such as painting, beading and weaving
  • Exercise and dance classes including Feldenkrais, Zumba, and yoga
  • Volunteer led discussion groups and lectures
  • Opportunities to give back to CLL and the broader community by spreading the word about our classes and programs and knitting with the KnitWits, who create blankets, scarves, and hats for vulnerable children and adults
  • And much more!

Informed by best practices and the latest research, CLL staff and volunteers sculpt programming based on several key attributes of creative aging including mental exercise, physical exercise, challenging leisure activities, mastery achievement, and the establishment of strong social networks. CLL fosters community, strength, and creativity.

For more information about Council Lifetime Learning for yourself or a family member or friend, please call us at 212-687-5030 x 0 or email us here.

SOCIAL WORK SERVICES

Our social work services for older adults includes ongoing support and discussion groups as well as special workshops and presentations. Our staff social worker conducts several support groups, including two weekly loss recovery groups led by our staff social worker. Both groups, which are open to men and women, focus on the loss of a spouse or partner.

Support Groups for Caregivers

Our staff social worker also leads a support group for caregivers of persons with memory loss primarily due to Alzheimer’s Disease. Caregivers share advice, insights, and frustrations in a safe and supportive environment, helping each other to identify effective coping strategies for the unique challenges of caring for a loved one with memory loss. This group currently meets on Fridays at 10:45 AM and 11:30 AM.

In addition, some of the emotional and psychosocial needs of our older members are met through discussion groups such as “The Emotional Aspects of Aging,” “The Women’s Discussion Group,” and “The Men’s Life Group.”

For more information, please call our social worker, Letitia Maun at 646.884.9471 or lmaun@ncjwny.org

PREGNANCY LOSS SUPPORT

The  Pregnancy Loss Support Program (PLSP) utilizes professionally-trained volunteers to provide telephone counseling and to facilitate in-person support groups for parents who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or newborn death. All of our volunteers have experienced a loss themselves, so they can speak from experience to grieving parents, and at the same time continue their own healing process through service to others.  Last year the program served more than 100 families.

For more information, please click here to view the website or contact us by email or at 646.884.9464. To make a contribution, click here.

HELEN BLOOM LINC PROGRAM

The Helen Bloom LINC (Lunch, Interaction, Nurturing, & Companionship) Program is an innovative day program that engages adults with memory loss through art, music, dance, recreational activities, and pet therapy in an intimate, nurturing environment. The program operates three times a week, engaging both the participants and their caregivers. The program is invigorating and encourages positive self-expression, improving their mood and function.

 


Financial aid is available. We invite you to learn more by contacting Letitia Maun, NCJW NY Social Worker at 646-884-9471, or at lmaun@ncjwny.org.

BACK 2 SCHOOL STORE

Our annual Back 2 School Store debuted in 2015, and it provides children with everything they need to go back to school with pride, confidence, and enthusiasm. One day every summer, NCJW NY’s Council House is transformed into a very special department store, to provide each child with a brand new outfit (shirt, pants, parka, sneakers, underwear and socks) as well as a backpack filled with school supplies, entirely free of charge. Best of all, the children chose each item themselves, based on their own tastes and styles. While children shop with their volunteer personal shoppers, parents explore the Resource Center, where representatives from public and private agencies will be on hand to inform parents about resources available in the community to support their family’s health, learning, and growth.

If you would like to get involved as a volunteer or a partner agency for the Back 2 School Store, please email azadoff@ncjwny.org.

To support B2SS, please click here

CHILDREN'S LITERACY PROGRAM

Our Children’s Literacy work aims to engage children in a lifelong love of books and reading, thereby helping to close the gap in school performance for economically disadvantaged children.

NCJW-NY Children's Literacy

Reading Tutors

Our Reading Tutors program engages our volunteers who work in partnership with four after-school sites in Manhattan, providing one-on-one reading sessions with age-appropriate materials for children in grades kindergarten through 5th.  Students keep their books after they have read them with their tutors.

If you would like to volunteer for the Children’s Literacy Program, please email info@ncjwny.org.

ELEANOR LEFF JEWISH WOMEN'S RESOURCE CENTER

ELEANOR LEFF JEWISH WOMEN’S RESOURCE CENTERThe Jewish Women’s Resource Center (JWRC) explores, documents, and celebrates the full range of Jewish women’s experiences — religious, secular, public and private – through conferences, film festivals, book clubs, and other events.

 

 

 

JACKSON-STRICKS SCHOLARSHIP

Jackson-Stricks Scholarship

Jackson-Stricks Scholarship provides financial aid that enables students with physical challenges to pursue academic study or vocational training which leads to independent living.

Scholarships are available to students with physical challenges that affect mobility, vision or hearing who are currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program in the New York Metropolitan Area. This year the committee will award two scholarships of $5,000 and $10,000 respectively. The Jackson-Stricks Scholarship is a one-time awards and should be considered supplemental aid. If you have questions about the scholarship please email jss@ncjwny.org.

Applications for the 2024-2025 school year are now open. Click here for application.

All applications due by February 29, 2024