JCS@Work — JCS Initiatives

Jewish Community Services (JCS) is a unique, professional non-profit welfare organisation, within the Jewish welfare system that renders services in all areas of specialisation in all age groups.

We provide a full range of preventative, educative and supportive counselling and statutory services. We also have a number of community projects, manage three residential care facilities and provide secure, subsidised accommodation for indigent community members in 38 JCS owned apartments.
This isn’t where the JCS services stop, as we have several other initiatives.

Foodbank
As recently as 2016, we established a FoodBank that provides food assistance to over 40 clients per month in the form of non-perishable food parcels. Clients access the FoodBank via their Case Managing Social Worker who will pack the food parcel in accordance to the needs of the family or individual, providing for their most basic food needs.

Tikvah
Tikvah is independently run and provides a bi-weekly fruit and vegetable hamper to approximately 100 JCS clients. The hamper consists mainly of fresh fruit and vegetables and recently, in response to an identified need, JCS started to augment the hamper by adding non-perishable items to the hamper, thus ensuring that a full meal can be created with the contents. Tikvah has been in partnership with JCS for close to 20 years.

The Simcha Fund
The Simcha Fund is a Cape Town Based charity, that raises funds for community members in need who are, celebrating a special event, such as a wedding, a special birthday, a Bar or Batmitzvah, a Brit Milah, the purchasing of tallis or tefillin and other Jewish essential items. JCS administers the funds on behalf of the Simcha Fund.

Helping Hand Loans
In addition to providing families and individuals with financial relief towards food and accommodation, JCS also provides Helping Hand Loans to help people enhance their business, or means to make a living. The loan does not exceed a certain amount and clients need to have a financially stable family member to sign surety on their behalf.

Arts and Crafts group
Arts and Crafts group, although fun and creative, encourages clients to participate to learn a new skill and create a product that can be sold and therefore create a means of income. Arts and Craft is also a little social group where clients can access the library attached to the Arts and Crafts room, as well as the computer, for job hunting and interesting art ideas. All proceeds are put back into the Arts and Craft project.

Bargains Galore
In addition to being a charity shop, which sells donations of clothing, furniture, appliances and bric-a-brac to raise funds for JCS, Bargains Galore provides clients with a structured, sheltered environment, for part-time employment. Clients learn various retail skills such as pricing, customer care, store display setups as well as life skills in respect of functioning in a work environment. We find that clients who haven’t worked in a while thrive in this environment and many move on to finding more permanent and gainful employment in the open labour market.

Property Initiative
JCS has purchased residential property across Cape Town, to provide secure, subsidised accommodation for our clients who find themselves in unfortunate situations. JCS owns two blocks of flats accommodating up to 20 families in the Gardens area, and another 18 in Sea Point and Goodwood. With rapidly escalating rentals, it has become increasingly difficult for clients of limited means to secure accommodation. The purchase of residential property not only provides for this need but constitutes a capital investment which ensures sustainability of the organisation into the future.

For further information please contact JCS on 021 462 5520, email: info@jcs.org.za or refer to our website: www.jcs.org.za

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