WEST HARTFORD — Jewish Family Services of Greater Hartford (JFS) has received two grants totaling $337,000 from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving to support agency operations, as well as the agency’s food pantry.

“We are very grateful to the foundation for its continued commitment to JFS,” said Executive Director Anne Danaher. “These funds come at a critical time when demand for our services is as high as it has ever been. We could not ask for a better community partner.”

The staff of Hartford’s JFS celebrate the receipt of two major grants
from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

The first grant is a three-year $330,000 gift that will provide $110,000 to JFS for each of the three years to support agency operations. Continued funding beyond the first year is contingent on JFS meeting agreed-upon objectives set forth in a strategic plan submitted under the conditions of the grant.

The second grant of $7,000 will allow JFS to give clients of its Anja Rosenberg Kosher Food Pantry greater access to food assistance, insurance and other government programs. The grant was made possible by the Beatrice Fox Auerbach Foundation fund and other foundation funds. JFS is one of 65 agencies in the Greater Hartford region that provide food, emergency housing, fuel assistance, and access to healthcare and employment services to receive a total of $450,000 in grants from the Foundation to address basic human needs.

“With the loss of jobs and the sluggish recovery in Connecticut, many agencies report a continuing demand for basic services,” said Cheryl Gerrish, the Foundation’s grants manager. “Grants target the immediate needs providers see among residents which are often not adequately covered by existing resources.”