NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN NEW YORK SECTION
241 WEST 72ND STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10023 www.ncjwny.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: NCJW NY IS A GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION OF VOLUNTEERS AND ADVOCATES WHO TURN PROGRESSIVE IDEALS INTO ACTION. INSPIRED BY JEWISH VALUES, NCJW NY STRIVES FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE BY IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR WOMEN, CHILDREN, AND FAMILIES AND BY SAFEGUARDING INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS. NCJW NY SERVES NEW YORKERS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, FROM ALL RACIAL AND RELIGIOUS BACKGROUNDS. ALL SERVICES ARE NON-SECTARIAN. SINCE OUR FOUNDING IN 1894, NCJW NY HAS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF SOCIAL CHANGE, CHAMPIONING THE NEEDS OF SOCIETY'S MOST VULNERABLE CITIZENS AND TAKING STANDS ON ISSUES SUCH AS CHILD WELFARE, WOMEN'S EQUALITY, AND LABOR RIGHTS, WHILE ALSO PROVIDING DIRECT SERVICE TO ALLEVIATE THE EFFECTS OF POVERTY AND INEQUALITY. TODAY, MORE THAN 125 YEARS LATER, THE NEED FOR OUR WORK REMAINS AS STRONG AS EVER. NCJW NY OPERATES VITAL COMMUNITY SERVICES AND ADVOCACY INITIATIVES, IMPACTING THE LIVES OF MORE THAN 35,000 NEW YORKERS.

NCJW NY IS A VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION ENGAGING IN DIRECT SOCIAL SERVICES AND ADVOCACY.

COUNCIL LIFETIME LEARNING (CLL):CLL PROMOTES HEALTHY AGING FOR ACTIVE OLDER ADULTS ON THE UPPER WEST SIDE AND BEYOND. IN PRE-PANDEMIC TIMES, CLL'S ROBUST ROSTER OF MORE THAN 30 WEEKLY IN-PERSON CLASSES, DISCUSSION GROUPS AND EVENTS, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON ARTS AND CULTURE, ENGAGE AND EMPOWER PARTICIPANTS. CLL PROVIDES A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT HELPING OLDER ADULTS CONTINUE TO LEARN AND GROW, THEREBY DEFYING SOCIETY'S AGE-RELATED STEREOTYPES. ALL IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING FOR OLDER ADULTS WAS SUSPENDED IN LATE MARCH. GRADUALLY, WE ADDED MORE AND MORE VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING, USING TELEPHONE CONFERENCE CALL AND VIDEOCONFERENCE PLATFORMS. OUR SOCIAL WORKER INSTITUTED A NEW SUPPORT GROUP CALLED "COPING WITH COVID," TO HELP SENIORS WORK THROUGH THE FEAR, ANXIETY, AND ISOLATION THEY ARE FACING. THE TWO WEEKLY CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUPS SHE LEADS ALSO CONTINUE TO BE VITAL AS THESE TIMES ONLY ADD TO THE USUAL STRAINS OF CARING FOR A LOVED ONE. BY THE END OF JUNE, APPROXIMATELY 125 SENIORS WERE PARTICIPATING IN AT LEAST ONE OF OUR 15 WEEKLY OFFERINGS. IN FY'20, CLL BROUGHT ON ITS FIRST GRADUATE LEVEL SOCIAL WORK INTERN, WHO PROVED TO BE INVALUABLE IN MAINTAINING CONNECTION AND PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR OUR MOST AT-RISK SENIORS WHO FOUND THEMSELVES SUDDENLY HOMEBOUND AND ALONE.

HUNGER PROGRAM:EVEN IN PRE-PANDEMIC TIMES, OVER THREE 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. THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC EXACERBATED THE PROBLEM OF FOOD INSECURITY IN NEW YORK CITY, AND NCJW NY WAS ABLE TO KEEP OUR NUTRITION PROGRAMS RUNNING THROUGHOUT THE CRISIS WITHOUT INTERRUPTION. THE HUNGER PROGRAM SERVED APPROXIMATELY 32,800 NEW YORKERS A TOTAL OF 234,366 MEALS DURING OUR LAST FISCAL YEAR, A 17% INCREASE OVER FY'19. OUR MONDAY FOOD PANTRY PROVIDES A THREE-DAY EMERGENCY SUPPLY OF BOTH FRESH PRODUCE AND SHELF-STABLE GROCERIES TO FAMILIES IN NEED. IN MARCH 2020, WE ADAPTED OUR SERVICE DELIVERY MODEL TO REDUCE THE RISK OF SPREADING INFECTION: WE ELIMINATED ALL CLIENT REGISTRATION AND CHECK-IN, AND BEGAN DISTRIBUTING PRE-PACKED GROCERY BAGS AT THE DOOR INSTEAD OF INVITING CLIENTS INSIDE TO CHOOSE THEIR OWN FOOD ITEMS. OUR AVERAGE WEEKLY CLIENT NUMBERS JUMPED FROM ABOUT 175 TO 325. OUR TWICE-WEEKLY COMMUNITY KITCHEN SWITCHED TO BROWN-BAG CHILLED MEALS INSTEAD OF INVITING CLIENTS INSIDE FOR A HOT, FRESH MEAL. CLIENT NUMBERS AT THE KITCHEN HAVE REMAINED MOSTLY STEADY, WITHOUT ABOUT 60 ON WEDNESDAYS AND 100 ON SUNDAYS. NEARLY ALL OF OUR 20 REGULAR VOLUNTEERS WERE OVER 60 YEARS OLD, AND THEREFORE WE HAD TO ASK THEM TO REMAIN AT HOME. OUR DIRECTOR OF VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT QUICKLY RECRUITED A NEW TEAM OF VOLUNTEERS WITH NO HEALTH RISK FACTORS, AND THEY HAVE BEEN ESSENTIAL TO OUR CONTINUED OPERATIONS. WE HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF SEVERAL NEW FUNDING STREAMS AVAILABLE DURING THE CRISIS TO SUPPLEMENT OUR FOOD BUDGET, INCLUDING EMERGENCY GRANTS FROM FOUNDATIONS AS WELL AS NEW IN-KIND FOOD DONATION PROGRAMS. THESE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES HAVE ALSO BEEN KEY TO OUR CONTINUING OPERATIONS

ADVOCACY:NCJW NY CONTINUES TO LEAD THE PRO-TRUTH COALITION CAMPAIGN, WITH THE GOAL OF EXPOSING AND FIGHTING THE DECEPTIVE TACTICS OF SO-CALLED "CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTERS" (FAKE ABORTION CLINICS). PRO-TRUTH HOSTED A NIGHT OF EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY IN JANUARY 2020, AND WORK CONTINUED THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC. STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS CONDUCTED RESEARCH ON THE RESPONSE OF CPCS TO THE SHUT-DOWN, AND WE CONTINUED TO ADVOCATE FOR THE PASSAGE OF A BILL TO CONDUCT A STUDY OF PREGNANCY SERVICES IN NEW YORK STATE. IN ADDITION, THE PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS HAS INCREASED OUR FOCUS ON VOTER ACCESS AND VOTER EDUCATION, HOPING TO ENSURE THAT NO ONE HAS TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THEIR HEALTH AND THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE. NCJW NY ALSO SUPPORTS THE WORK OF OUR NATIONAL OFFICE, NCJW, INC., WHICH HAS A PROFESSIONALLY-STAFFED WASHINGTON, D.C. OFFICE THAT ADVOCATES AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL AND HELPS COORDINATE GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY NATIONWIDE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

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