Jewish Family Service Agency reaches out to community

The Jewish Family Service Agency provides several much-needed services to the Southern Nevada community, said interim executive director Eric Goldstein, including a food pantry, emergency bill payment help, prescription drug pickup for seniors and an adoption program.

The nonprofit was founded in 1977 to provide comprehensive social support to people in need, regardless of religion, Goldstein said. Currently, the agency operates on a $750,000 a year budget.

"We have plenty of people who need help, people who have family problems, drug problems, homeless issues. People with limited income need help. Our phone never stops, our office is never slow," Goldstein said.

More than 8,000 needy locals are fed through the food pantry each year, Goldstein noted. The pantry, which is open from 9 a.m. to noon Mondays through Fridays, is stocked through food drives, donations and grants.

The nonprofit sees more than 100 people a day, many of them seniors, who need help paying rent or utility bills, picking up prescriptions and other types of assistance, he said. Financial help is based on need, he added.

The nonprofit also offers a friendly visitor program in which volunteers go to the homes of seniors and help them with small tasks around the house.

The adoption services are widely used. The nonprofit conducts about three to four home studies each month to determine if a couple or individual is a good candidate for adoption, Goldstein said.

Licensed therapists provide therapy service to Jewish Family Service Agency clients on a sliding fee scale. More than 5,000 Las Vegans utilize the therapy services through the organization.

Other services include a Holocaust survivor program and community outreach, Goldstein said. Currently, the organization is expanding its programs and creating satellite programs to reach more people. Eventually, Goldstein wants to see the organization involved more with people who have special needs, such as the handicapped.

The nonprofit is always seeking volunteers. For more information, call 732-0304.