Funds to Feed Grantee: Jewish Family & Children's Service

Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JFCS) has strengthened the community by providing behavioral health, healthcare, and social services to all ages, faiths, and backgrounds since 1935. As a large agency serving more than 44,000 people a year in Maricopa County, JFCS provides integrated services that help people meet multiple needs. When food insecurity became a growing problem for youth transitioning out of foster care, JFCS launched the Just 3 Things food pantry. 

Just 3 Things started from the belief that donating just three items a month can make a difference in people’s lives. Operating under a client-choice model, people select the foods they’d like from the pantry, ensuring what they take home meets their dietary, cultural, and dental preferences. Just 3 Things provides shelf-stable, non-perishable foods, with an emphasis on healthier options with reduced sodium and sugar. It also offers ready-to-eat meals for youth and families who might not have kitchens. As a result, JFCS purchases 90% of the food it supplies in the pantries. Although this can be a more expensive operating model, it’s also one that leads with client dignity.  

“We seek continuous input from JFCS program staff on what is needed in order to make the Just 3 Things food pantries accessible for their clients,” Alexis Smith-Schallenberger, grants manager at JFCS said. “Purchasing gives us flexibility in terms of being truly intentional about the type of food we offer.”

Just 3 Things has expanded since its launch in 2011: from serving 100 foster youth a year to clients across the agency. “During the pandemic, food insecurity became a real issue—increasing tenfold for clients,” Alexis shared. To meet the growing need, JFCS hired a coordinator to manage operations, inventory, and volunteers. Youth participating in other JFCS programs assist with the Just 3 Things program as well, helping to stock pantries and gaining workforce readiness skills.

JFCS serves many working families who are just over the income levels for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Just 3 Things fills a gap for those who don’t qualify for SNAP – offering food and other items that help people meet their basic needs, including cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, school supplies, and more. 

In 2023, the Funds to Feed grant helped JFCS to provide meals to more than 500 Phoenix families through the Just 3 Things pantry. While the need hasn’t gone away, JFCS has stepped up to support its clients who are facing food insecurity, coupling food and basic items with its social services and healthcare.