Volunteer
JFS MetroWest offers a wide array of meaningful volunteer opportunities. Our volunteer staff will match your interests and talents to community needs to ensure a gratifying experience.
We have opportunities for adult volunteer opportunities, Rachel Coalition volunteer possibilities, mitzvah projects, and the RSVP Center of Essex & Hudson Counties, which is a comprehensive community service organization catering to individuals 55 and over.
There are many benefits to volunteering with JFS of MetroWest. Volunteers make new friends, learn new skills, and bring joy to many of our JFS clients. JFS also offers special recognition events as a thank you for serving.
Volunteer Opportunities:
Money Management
Money Management volunteers are matched with a homebound older adult in Essex County to visit once a week in their home. Volunteers assist clients with reading mail, filing papers, and paying bills enabling seniors to live independently in their own homes. Volunteers create a budget and track expenses with the client. This program helps ensure that aging residents do not end up in nursing homes or other long term care facilities prematurely.
For more information contact Taylor Ruszczyk at TRuszczyk@jfsmetrowest.org or (973) 637-1742.
Friendly Visiting
Friendly Visitors are matched with a homebound older adult to meet with in their home weekly. Volunteers provide conversation, companionship, and socialization opportunities.
For more information contact Taylor Ruszczyk at TRuszczyk@jfsmetrowest.org or (973) 637-1742.
Tessie’s Touch
Tessie’s Touch brings joy & connection to isolated older adults by matching them with a caring volunteer to do activities and excursions within the community. Tessie’s Touch is an extension of our traditional Friendly Visiting program and allows us to go above and beyond for our seniors.
Each senior is paired one-on-one with a volunteer to facilitate a deeper connection through shared experiences and activities. JFS Staff will work with the pair to find an activity that brings them joy such as a trip to a botanical garden, attending a show or movie they had been looking forward to seeing, or sharing a meal at a local restaurant. Tessie’s Touch will cover the cost of the activities and transportation.
Volunteers must submit to a background check. The program commitment is 1 hour once a week and the schedule of meetings is flexible. Volunteers are expected to report their hours monthly through the JFS Volunteer Tracking system and submit an update of the visit to the program coordinator online.
For more information contact Taylor Ruszczyk at TRuszczyk@jfsmetrowest.org or (973) 637-1742.
Reading Buddies
Reading Buddies engages older adult volunteers in promoting childhood literacy in public schools. Volunteers age 55+ read to the same small group of students each week throughout the school year using a read-aloud format that supplements the school’s regular reading curriculum. Reading Buddies is a one-of-a-kind program that uses volunteers to support children grades k-2 and educators in the classroom.
Volunteers must complete a background check and are asked to commit to a full school year. The program is 1-1.5 hours once a week. Training and books are provided. Substitute reader positions are available for those who cannot commit to weekly sessions.
To participate, contact Julie Cramer-Le at jcramer-le@jfsmetrowest.org or (973) 637-1761.
Reading Buddies is run through RSVP, an AmeriCorps Seniors program, and only open to volunteers ages 55+.
Listen to Children
The Listen to Children program pairs a warm accepting older adult volunteer with a school aged child on a one-to-one basis. The Child-Listener relationship allows a child to share conversations, joys, experiences and even concerns. Meeting with their Listener allows children to gain important cross-generational perspectives. Listener volunteers meet with a child on the same day and time weekly, usually during the student’s lunch hour or recess, during the school calendar.
Listener volunteers receive a training and ongoing supervision and support. Meetings with listeners are held bi-monthly with different speakers in the community.
Volunteers must complete a background check and are asked to commit to a full school year. The program runs 45 minutes once a week. Volunteers are expected to report their hours monthly through the JFS Volunteer Tracking system.
To participate, contact Julie Cramer-Le at jcramer-le@jfsmetrowest.org or (973) 637-1761.
Listen to Children is run through RSVP, an AmeriCorps Seniors program, and only open to volunteers ages 55+.
Meal Delivery
Provide fresh meals for our community’s most vulnerable members. Volunteers pick up freshly cooked meals in Livingston and deliver them to homebound older adults and holocaust survivors throughout Essex and Morris Counties.
To participate, contact Julie Cramer-Le at jcramer-le@jfsmetrowest.org or (973) 637-1761.
Medicare Counseling (SHIP)
The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) provides free help to Essex County Medicare beneficiaries who have problems with, or questions about their health insurance. SHIP is a statewide program administered in Essex County by JFS MetroWest and RSVP. It is funded by the New Jersey Department of Human Services with financial assistance through a grant from the U.S. Administration for Community Living.
Volunteer counselors do not provide legal advice, sell, recommend, or endorse any specific insurance product, agent, insurance company, or plan. They provide information and assistance so that Medicare beneficiaries can make their own decisions. Counseling is free of charge. Counselors are assigned to easy to access community sites, such as libraries and community centers throughout the county.
SHIP Counselors must commit to a background check, a 40-hour training, and a minimum of 1 year of service. Volunteers typically serve 2-4 hours a week, but are busiest during Medicare Open Enrollment (Oct 7 – Dec 15).
To volunteer, contact Brittany Bynum at bbynum@jfsmetrowest.org or (973) 637-1717. The Essex County SHIP is run through RSVP, an AmeriCorps Seniors program, and only open to volunteers ages 55+.
To receive SHIP services please contact our Helpline at (973) 637-1717 or email medicarehelp@jfsmetrowest.org. For more information on the SHIP program visit https://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/doas/services/ship/.
Supporting Victims of Domestic Violence/Rachel Coalition
Support survivors of domestic violence through the Court Advocate and Domestic Violence Response Team (DVRT) programs. There are numerous volunteer opportunities including community education and awareness about domestic abuse and/or working directly with victims.
Mitzvah Projects for Adolescents
JFSMW can help create a Bar/Bat Mitzvah Volunteer Project that fits your interests. Contact Stephanie Grove at sgrove@jfsmetrowest.org or (973) 765-9050 to discuss.
