Volunteer With JSSA
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JSSA’s Aging In Place services, Holocaust Survivor Program, and Hospice program partner with hundreds of volunteers to improve individuals’ lives in Montgomery County, MD, DC, and Northern Virginia. Volunteer interests and skills are matched with the needs of clients, patients, and staff. Individuals and groups of every denomination are welcome.
Volunteers are onboarded with care and must complete an online application, interview, background check, and training.
Volunteer opportunities include:
Meal Delivery
Volunteers pick up nourishing kosher meals and deliver them to older adults in Montgomery County who cannot cook for themselves. Meals are picked up in Rockville at 9 AM and delivered Monday through Friday.
If you have questions, please call Taylor McCarley at 301-816-2636 or via email at tmccarley@jssa.org.
Holiday Basket Delivery
Volunteers deliver packages of food and ritual items at Passover, Rosh Hashanah, and Thanksgiving to individuals and families who could use some help during the holidays.
If you have questions, please call Taylor McCarley at 301-816-2636 or via email at tmccarley@jssa.org.
Himmelfarb Mobile University
Volunteer instructors help older adults living in residential facilities stay healthy by engaging their minds with stimulating, entertaining, lifelong learning lessons. Volunteers provide programs, typically one hour in length.
Examples of potential educational topics include, but are not limited to, presentations on visits to other countries, musical performances, movement exercises, assistance with technology, poetry reading, lectures on art or music history, art classes, mindfulness/meditation, history lessons, and writing workshops.
Commitment: While we encourage volunteers to lead a series of their programs, there is also the option for a single session. We are currently looking for volunteers to provide in-person classes.
Contact Gabe at: gpinkney@jssa.org or 202-235-5793.
Uniper Care
Volunteer virtual instructors help JSSA Holocaust survivors stay healthy by engaging their minds in learning through a unique program that brings the classroom into their homes through client television sets.
Volunteers provide courses that are 45-60 minutes long through featured series. Requires familiarity with presenting on the ZOOM platform. All perspective volunteers must provide a sample course outline and a 15–30-minute preview run with a volunteer coordinator.
Examples of potential educational topics include but are not limited to presentation and discussion on visits to other countries, musical performances and discussions about the music, visual art demonstrations, lectures on art or music history, mindfulness/meditation, history lessons, writing workshops, short story reading, analysis, and discussion. We are currently seeking both Russian and English speakers.
Commitment: 6+ months or more with classes held 1x or 2x a month
Contact: Gabe at gpinkney@jssa.org or 202-235-5793.
Café Europa
Volunteers help with setting up and serving kosher meals to older adults at a special luncheon held once a year for Holocaust survivors living in the National Capital Region. This event features live music and dancing. We are currently seeking Russian-speaking volunteers.
Commitment: 1x a year on a weekday from 9AM-2PM.
Contact: Gabe at gpinkney@jssa.org
Friendly Visitor Program
Our friendly visitor volunteers provide one-on-one social visits for Holocaust Survivors and other older adults who are socially isolated and would benefit from the interaction. These conversations are held in person at the client’s home. Optional ideas to enhance these friendly visits may include looking at photos, reading aloud, playing a card/board game, and going for a walk.
Commitment: 2x a month for a minimum of 6 months.
Contact: Gabe at gpinkney@jssa.org or 202-235-5793.
Personal Shoppers
Volunteers grocery shop on their own for clients at the grocery store and then drop off groceries at the client’s home. Clients’ homes may have stairs and/or elevators, so volunteers must be comfortable with both. Deliveries sometimes occur at a private home and sometimes within a community setting.
Commitment: 1-2 hours weekly, or bi-weekly, depending on client requests.
Contact: Gabe at gpinkney@jssa.org or 202-235-5793.
Tech Tutoring (part of our Friendly Visitor Program)
Tech tutor volunteers perform tech tutor duties during their friendly visits. Tech tutors are volunteers who are tech-savvy and able to teach older adults how to perform basic operations on electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and computers. Many of our older adults need basic help with learning how to send and receive texts, download apps, open email, perform internet search functions, etc. Russian-speaking volunteers are preferred but not required.
Commitment: 2x a month for a minimum of 6+ months
Contact: Gabe at gpinkney@jssa.org or 202-235-5793.
Behrend-Adas Senior Fellowship
The Behrend-Adas Senior Fellowship is a daily lunch and social program presented by JSSA in partnership with the Adas Israel Congregation. It is open to all older adults (age 60+) residing in the District of Columbia. Our program features a kosher lunch, exercise classes, film screenings, art classes, live entertainment, and a brief Shabbat service on Fridays. Volunteers help with setup, serve hot kosher lunch, socialize with the participants, and assist JSSA staff. Volunteers must be good communicators and team players.
Commitment: 1x a week on a regularly assigned weekday from 10 AM-1:30 PM.
Adas Israel has free on-site parking for those who drive and is located 2 blocks from the Cleveland Park metro station on the red line.
Contact: Gabe Pinkney at gpinkney@jssa.org
Nourish Now
Is a food recovery warehouse, so clients can access fresh food and pantry staples. Nourish Now volunteers go once or twice a month to a pickup location (Rockville, Silver Spring, Kensington, or Gaithersburg) to pick up and deliver the food to their clients. Some clients need help putting the food away, while others are grateful for the delivery and smile. Clients’ homes may have stairs and/or elevators, so volunteers must be comfortable with both, with deliveries sometimes being at a private home and sometimes within a community setting.
Commitment: 1x or 2x a month for 1-2 hours
Contact: Gabe at gpinkney@jssa.org or 202-235-5793.
Collection Drive
Volunteers host collection drives based on clients’ current needs, advertising with family, friends, and colleagues to collect new, necessary items. They then package the collected items into kits and drop them off at our office in Rockville for care managers to distribute to clients.
Contact: HospiceVC@jssa.org
Hospice
Volunteers offer emotional, spiritual, and social support to people in their last weeks and months of life and their families. Caregiving support volunteers provide companionship, help with shopping, and respite for caregivers to help people living with a life-threatening illness and their families. Volunteers must complete a three-phase training program consisting of online and in-person training.
Contact: HospiceVC@jssa.org or call 301-816-2676
Recorded Visual Content Creator
Create recorded content for older adults to enjoy. Many of these older adults are aging in place or isolated. Content must be family-friendly and will be available for older adult clients to view.
Videos will provide opportunities for learning, enjoyment, and entertainment and could genuinely make people’s day and improve mood and overall quality of life.
Please find more information and guidelines on how to create this content below.
Contact and send your completed (unlisted) YouTube videos to: Gabe at gpinkney@jssa.org.
Office Support
Volunteers help cover the front desk receptionist position as on-call and floater coverage during lunch. Volunteers answer the phone, greet clients, welcome guests, etc.
Contact: Carol Middlebrough at cmiddlebrough@jssa.org
Volunteer Form
If you are interested in volunteering for JSSA, please use the link below to fill out an application.