BJH Foundation funding offers assistance to 
Jewish older adults

Press release

From the BJH Foundation for Senior Services:

BJH Foundation Funding Offers Tangible Assistance to 
Jewish Older Adults in Asheville, NC

By Alison Gilreath

Esther* was about to lose her housing, and her modest income could not cover the costs of moving into a new apartment. Her nutrition was poor because she had limited funds for groceries. She spent most of her time alone because she didn’t have community connections. But, thanks to the help of the BJH Foundation, now Esther is often found at the Jewish Family Services of WNC (JFS) Elder Club, where she is embraced by staff, volunteers, and new friends.

The BJH Foundation for Senior Services provides generous grant allocations to organizations across North and South Carolina like JFS of Western North Carolina, enabling us to provide critical services to older adults like Esther. The BJH Foundation funded in part the Case Management program at JFS enabling social workers to provide guidance and support to Esther, assisting her with moving expenses and food from the JFS Food Pantry. With help from the JFC social worker, Esther also applied and qualified for affordable senior housing and food stamps.

Some months later, Esther regularly eats a nutritious kosher lunch and enjoys being in a safe, caring Jewish environment at the JFS Elder Club, also funded in part by the BJH Foundation. This respite program offers socialization, nutrition, exercise, and other stimulating activities to older adults who may be socially isolated or impaired by a decline in memory or physical ability.

The BJH Foundation for Senior Services improves many more lives like Esther’s through programs like JFS’s Case Management Program and the Elder Club, as well as the other 20 programs it funded in 2014.

The JFS Elder Club and Social Work Case Management services are open to individuals and families of all faiths. JFS also receives support from the WNC Jewish Federation, Buncombe County Aging Services, and many individual donors in Asheville and surrounding counties in western North Carolina. For additional information please visit HYPERLINK “http://www.jfswnc.org” www.jfswnc.org

*the name and some details have been altered to protect the privacy of our JFS clients

About the BJH Foundation for Senior Services:
BJH Foundation for Senior Services, founded in 2006, provides grants to organizations that enhance the lives of Jewish older adults in North and South Carolina. Grants are awarded for activities, services and programs for the elderly in accordance with Jewish values and beliefs. For information on donating to BJH Foundation for Senior Services call 336-854-8400 or please visit HYPERLINK “http://www.bjhfoundation.org” www.bjhfoundation.org . The next grant application deadline will be April 2014.

Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Branch at 919-807-2214. The license is not an endorsement by the state.