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Gobble and Gifts: JFCS and

you can nurture community

BY JENN DIRECTOR KNUDSEN
Jewish Family & Child Service is run-
ning back-to-back programs to provide
for the community this holiday season
– its Thanksgiving Food Box and Fami-
ly-to-Family (previously Adopt-a-Family) Leanna Parsons, operations and outreach
coordinator for Tivnu: Building Justice.
gift-card programs.
This marks JFCS’s 20th year of provid- Gap year program
ing turkeys to those in need. But its annual
Thanksgiving Food Box program also is adds three staffers
about community – around a holiday table Tivnu: Building Justice has three new fac-
and working toward a common goal. es helping 20 gap year participants connect
Eleven community partners and three gro- with Jewish life and social justice through
cery stores have joined forces with JFCS individualized internships, discover the Pa-
to provide more than 150 food boxes. This cific Northwest and create a home together
translates into feeding about 600 individu- in Portland.
als who are clients of JFCS’ four programs: Leanna Parsons is now the Portland-based
Counseling, Emergency Aid, Disability operations and outreach coordinator. Nina
Support Services and Holocaust Survivor First and Abby Israel joined the team as
Services. madrichimot (resident advisors) for the two
Congregation Kesser Israel is one of JFCS volunteers gather at the Mittleman households.
JFCS’ new community partners. Jewish Community Center in 2019 (before “Leanna’s organizational savvy, can-do
“Kesser Israel wanted to join together the pandemic) for the annual Thanksgiving attitude and winning personality have al-
with JFCS on this project, because it’s our Food Box program. This year, volunteers ready added immensely to the Tivnu team,”
responsibility to stand together as a peo- can’t help pack, but they are signing up to says Tivnu founder Steve Eisenbach-Bud-
ple to help people,” says Aviel Brodkin, drive meals to clients’ homes for contact- ner. “Her work and presence are already
the synagogue’s community engagement less delivery. greatly appreciated by all who come into
director. “We can achieve more good by contact with her – participants, colleagues
uniting with other Jewish organizations.” important for us to show a united front as and parents.”
Each box includes a turkey, stuffing, veg- a community, and working together only A Bay Area native, Leanna was previous-
etable broth, cranberry sauce, potatoes and makes us all stronger,” says Michelle Ca- ly the program and engagement associate
pumpkin pie. (JFCS accommodates special plan, Congregation Neveh Shalom’s direc- at Hillel of Silicon Valley in San Jose, Ca-
requests and dietary restrictions, such as tor of congregant connections. lif. At Hillel, Leanna led social and Jewish
kosher and gluten free.) Families also will JFCS’ 2021 partner organizations pro- educational programs for college-aged un-
receive a $25 gift card to Fred Meyer so viding food, money and gift cards are dergraduates at two universities and three
they can select personal favorites to round Beit Haverim, Congregation Beth Israel, community colleges. Before joining the
out their festive meals. Congregation Kesser Israel, Congregation Jewish professional world, Leanna worked
“Portland Jewish Academy has been par- Shir Tikvah, Congregation Neveh Shalom, in education, traveling to Rishon LeZion,
ticipating in the Thanksgiving Food Box Congregation Shaarie Torah, Eastside Jew- Israel, to teach English in a local elemen-
Program and Family-to-Family for many ish Commons, Maayan Torah Day School, tary school. She has a bachelor’s degree in
years,” says Elana Cohn-Rozansky, PJA’s Mittleman Jewish Community Center, legal studies from the University of Cali-
service-learning coordinator and longtime Portland Jewish Academy and The Gan. fornia, Santa Cruz. In her spare time, Lean-
liaison between her community and JFCS. Fred Meyer, New Seasons and Safeway na enjoys hiking, powerlifting and reading
On Nov. 21, JFCS staff will gather at the are generously providing either discounted with her cat curled in her lap
MJCC to pack the Thanksgiving boxes, and or free perishables and non-perishables, as “I am so excited to have joined the team
more than 40 vaccinated volunteers repre- well as many gift cards. at Tivnu this fall. I work to support the
senting the agency will deliver them to cli- Congregation Beth Israel’s Religious resident advisors and current gap year par-
ents’ doorsteps all around greater Portland. School students amassed $800 in tzedakah ticipants with logistical help, social media
One client recently told JFCS Emergency the year before the pandemic but did not management and site operations. Addi-
Aid Manager Caitlin DeBoer, “The box is a have the chance to distribute it – until now. tionally, I work closely with our Executive
blessing for us every year.” “It is a tradition in Judaism to give tzeda- Director Steve and our Program Director
Concurrent to ensuring hundreds get kah during each religious holiday, especial- Adinah to recruit the next cohort of Tivnu.”
their gobble on for Thanksgiving, JFCS is ly those that center around a large festive Abby and Nina both bring terrific ex-
gathering gift cards from Fred Meyer for meal,” says CBI Education Director Ben perience, ideas and enthusiasm to their
its Family-to-Family program that begins Sandler. “CBI students are extending this work with the Tivnuniks as madrichimot.
Nov. 28, the first night of Chanukah. tradition to the Thanksgiving meal this year (Madrichim is male plural and madrichot is
Client families will receive gift cards via for members of the community in need.” female plural, but Tivnu uses terminology
mail inside holiday cards created by school For all Thanksgiving Food Boxes and used by the Habonim Dror Youth Move-
children at PJA and Maayan Torah Day Family-to-Family details – including ment to include both as well as non-binary
School to bring more cheer to the season. how to donate, volunteer and more – visit people. “It is not yet part of mainstream
“Especially after the last year and half, it’s jfcs-portland.org/holiday-giving-2021/.
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6 Jewish Review Nov. 10, 2021