A Word from our Fans

The Blackman family are awesome JRA volunteers. They were among the first families to take advantage of our Early/Late Route Pick-up Program which allowed them to fit in Hebrew school and JRA on distribution days. Here's Sara Blackman's take on the JRA experience:

"JRA is a great community service to do. You go in long lines and pack boxes with food. You can volunteer to hand out the food, collect food and put it in the boxes, give out boxes, or sometimes even fold the boxes. After all of the packing is done, you get your route and hit the road. Then you deliver the boxes to the people on your route.
I just love seeing the happy faces of the people my family delivers to. It’s just so fun."

Sara Blackman- 11 yrs old

Cake For All!

Today we said goodbye to our two interns from Barrack Hebrew Academy.  They have done such a great job and we were so pleased to have them.  Yesterday, for their final task, we asked them to go out to a residency by the distribution warehouse so that they can correctly map out the building.  It took them a while, but it will definitely make life easier for all of the volunteers.  To show our appreciation for them we celebrated by eating cake!  It was the same cake that we have at the distributions, however it was much smaller.  My mouth (Amy's) was blue for a good hour, oh how I love that stuff.  It reminds me of that blue sunscreen that when you rub it in it disappears, but when I would rub i on my children, my hands would turn blue and I would look like a smurf.   ANYWAY, that's all for now.  I'll check in more with you all later this week.

A Rainy Adventure

Although we were unable to make it to JRA's May distribution event on Sunday, we were able to do our part today. Despite yesterday's awful weather, all but seven recipients received their boxes, so today we journeyed to Southampton township to deliver seven boxes. It was both pouring rain and chilly, a perfect day to curl up on the couch, but as soon as we delivered our first box and received a smile and a chocolate bar from a very grateful elderly lady, our trip was well worth it. Hopefully we can attend the next distribution on its actual date but it was good to know that when it comes to helping others in our community, it's better late than never.

The Life of Two JRA Interns

As third quarter seniors at Jack M. Barrack Hebrew, we anxiously awaited freedom from classes, homework, and waking up at the crack of dawn. Before we could attain this freedom, however, we had to complete 136 of community service at a non-profit organization. The Jewish Relief Agency immediately popped into our minds. While we had been to a few JRA distribution events and were fairly familiar with how the organization worked, we had yet to learn how much patience and hard work was required to keep the organization alive. Prior to arriving for our first day of service, we did not know what to expect. As volunteers, all we knew was that we were to help Amy Krulik, the executive director, with whatever she needed. We quickly learned that Amy was fascinated by modern social networking and desperately wanted JRA to have a presence in the online world.
The first day we set to work, updating the JRA facebook group and making JRA its very own page on facebook. This task was fairly simple for us, as avid facebookers. The challenge came when we were asked to create a JRA blog and had to venture into unknown online territory. After the initial struggle, we managed to find a simple and easy-to-use website and launched JRA’s first official blog!
In addition to our online contributions to the agency, we journeyed outside of the office to Northeast Philadelphia. Within a few days, we contacted a couple of agencies for donations, brought food to the distribution warehouse, and visited a potential location for a JRA thrift store. All of these experiences enhanced our understanding of how much hard work and dedication it takes to run the Jewish Relief Agency.

JRA goes national!

JRA is getting a little national attention courtesy of B'nai Brith International Magazine. I was interviewed today about poverty in the Jewish community and about what JRA is doing to help. When you tell someone that 700-900 volunteers come to each distribution, they are usually amazed at this outpouring of support. The writer from B'nai Brith was no exception. I was so proud to talk about the awesome commitment of the JRA volunteers and am looking forward to seeing everyone at our next distribution on May 3rd!

Just a reminder: There is still time to RSVP for the May 3rd distribution. Just follow the link in your distribution email or send me or send me an email at amy@jewishrelief.org.

With warmest regards,
Amy

When can I volunteer?

Our distribution events take place Sunday from 10 am to 1 pm.

Our 2009 events are:

May 3

June 7

July 12

August 2

September 13

October 18

November 15

December 13

Make sure to contact JRA to let us know you're coming. Your help is greatly appreciated!

How can I Contact JRA?

Visit our website: www.jewishrelief.org
By E-mail: JRA@jewishrelief.org
By Telephone: 610-660-0190
By Fax: 610-660-0191
Or feel free to stop by our office: 125 Montgomery Avenue, Suite A3, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
On days of distribution, you can find us at: 10980 Dutton Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154
and call us at: 215-281-1101

How does the Jewish Relief Agency Work?

Although JRA was originally consisted of 19 volunteers assisting three families, it has since become a dynamic volunteer-driven organization, 8,000 strong. Each month, 750-900 volunteers of all ages meet as a community at our Northeast Philadelphia warehouse to package kosher, non-perishable food, load their cars with boxes, and deliver food and a smile into the homes of those in need. JRA's unique approach includes a monthly door-to-door distribution of food staples including canned fruits, salmon, soups, and pasta.
A wide range of Jewish organizations have participated in the monthly food distributions, including Jewish camps, local branches of Hillel, and even JDate. Reflecting its charitable mission and broad outreach, the JRA is a partner of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.

What is the Jewish Relief Agency?

The Jewish Relief Agency is the largest provider of food assistance to the Jewish poor in the Greater Philadelphia region. Our monthly food distributions assist over 2,600 low-income Jewish households. 90 percent of our recipient households live on less than $15,000 per year and are unable to purchase all of the food they need each month without the help of JRA. 42 percent have an illness or disability that makes it difficult for them to get to the supermarket and 37 percent do not have reliable transportation to a local grocery store.