Voices of JFS: Jill Miller

Jill Miller and her family have a long history of volunteering with JFS. We talked with Jill to learn more about how she got started, her involvement with the organization, and why she chooses to spend her time helping JFS.

When did you first become involved with JFS?

I started donating food to JFS in the 1980s when I learned about all the Russian immigrants that the organization was trying to help.

How did you become a volunteer? 

My bigger involvement came in the 1990s when a group of my friends and I started volunteering once a month sorting food donations and helping to stock the Weinberg Food Pantry shelves. It felt like a more complete and tangible way to help with that one part of the JFS mission. 

In what capacities are you involved? 

As our children got older, we felt it was important for them to realize just how fortunate their lives were. I brought the Read to Feed program to both of their schools. I felt very strongly that children should learn that they could make a difference in other people’s lives. I also wanted them to learn to appreciate what they have when there are so many who are struggling. We had classes come to JFS to tour the pantry and to stock their donations on the shelves.

For his bar mitzvah project, our older son set a goal of collecting a ton (2,000 pounds) of food to donate to the pantry. He got donations of paper grocery bags from the store and distributed them to 100 of our neighbors each month. We would drive around the next day to collect the donations. It took six months for him to hit his goal. In the end, he collected 2,018 pounds of food and $600 in cash for the pantry.

Currently, I volunteer in the pantry as often as I can. I sort donations and store reclamation items, stock shelves, and do whatever is needed to make products available for the clients. My husband and I feel that we have a moral and financial obligation to help to the best of our ability. We continue to make donations of either money or products on a monthly basis as we have for years.

How often are you volunteering in the pantry and who do you bring with you? 

I have continued volunteering at the pantry each month with a group of family and friends, including my sister and our 93-year-old mother. Over the past two years, it became very apparent that there was a lot of work that needed to be done to support the other volunteers who were packing and distributing boxes to the clients. We started coming in two to three times per week to make sure we do everything we can to help. While my mother has only been able to come in person a few times, she helps from home by bundling diapers and packaging feminine hygiene products for distribution. She has even recruited others who live in her building. With all the isolation that Covid brought, I think it helps them to know they are still needed and can definitely help out.

Why do you support JFS when there are so many places to support? 

I love that JFS believes in helping people with all their basic needs so they can be successful in life. There is no judgement of the clients, just the desire to help.

Personally, it is upsetting to me, very frustrating, that so many people in our country experience food insecurity. In donating time and money to JFS, and to the pantry in particular, I feel like I’m able to make a small difference in people’s lives. Volunteering has given me to opportunity to directly see the impact.

How has JFS impacted your life? 

Being “allowed” to volunteer regularly at JFS for the past two decades has given me soooo much. While we are always thanked for coming to help, we have always turned it around to say, “Thank you for letting us come in to help out.” Especially over the last two years, volunteering at JFS has been a constant reminder to be grateful for what I have in my life…the reminder that I am blessed.

One of the gifts of Covid (yes, I believe there have been gifts) is the wonderful people I have met volunteering at JFS over the last two years. Everyone has such a big heart and just wants to work hard to help other people. JFS is filled with staff and volunteers who truly believe in what they are doing.

Do you have a favorite memory or story to share? 

My favorite memories of volunteering at JFS have to do with children. The Read to Feed program gave me the opportunity to teach kids how simple and important it is to make a difference in other people’s lives. Hopefully, it helped to create a mindset that has continued with them as they grew up. I have loved coming in to volunteer with my own children when they were younger and now to include our in-law children. It is so rewarding to do this together!

Thank you to Jill and her family and friends who have volunteered or donated to JFS over the years!

Have a story to share about your involvement with JFS? Share it now!