You have the power to make the holidays magical.
And in turn, you get to experience the gratifying warmth that comes from making someone else’s holidays special.
Last year, our amazing community helped 900 older adults facing isolation, individuals with mental health challenges, and financially struggling families served by Jewish Family Service celebrate the holidays.
Your participation in our Adopt a Family program does far more than fulfill wish lists—it creates moments of joy for many who are struggling and reminds them that they’re not alone.
Ready to do it again?
Please note that our drop-off week this year will start the week of Monday, November 16
See photos from this amazing event
Frequently Asked Questions
Every year, JFS collects holiday wish lists from those we serve and matches them with donors from the community who purchase requested gift items. Over 400 individuals, groups and families mobilize to provide thousands of gifts for over 900 clients each year for the holidays
Participants in this program are currently receiving services from Jewish Family Service.
Because the dates for Jewish holidays change each year (based on the Hebrew vs. secular calendar), the timeline changes slightly every year. For 2026, Hanukkah begins December 4. Because this is just following Thanksgiving and we time the process for gift pickup to take place before Hanukkah starts, we plan to have wish lists available in early October! This gives community donors plenty of time to shop before the JFS drop-off dates, which start the week of November 16.
We appreciate all levels of participation! This is totally up to your preference and interest.
Because Hanukkah falls early this year on the secular calendar, JFS will be asking donors to bring all purchased, wrapped and labeled gifts to JFS the week of November 16. Drop-off is Monday-Thursday from 9am-5pm and Friday from 9am-12pm, at the JFS office building in West Bloomfield (6555 West Maple Road, West Bloomfield; use the door marked “Administration”). Staff and volunteers will be on hand to help unload your car and ensure the delivered gifts get to the right individual or family!
Unfortunately, because this is such a big project, JFS needs all hands-on deck! We attempt to offer accessible hours, as we appreciate that the community is adding the task of delivery to their to-do list.
This process protects confidentiality, respects dignity and maintains anonymity. No client names are listed for donors to see and vice versa. Clients are assigned numbers for matching purposes only.
Just like with most of JFS programs, you do not need to be Jewish to participate. All are welcome, and we appreciate all the many hands that want to help others! Jewish Family Service respects and values diversity, and employees, volunteers, donors and clients come from many different walks of life. Not all donors and recipients are Jewish.
Donors are notified if a gift recipient is Jewish or non-Jewish. Donors may of course, use gender- and culturally-neutral wrapping paper or gift bags, but may also customize wrapping to reflect whether or not the recipient celebrates Hanukkah or Christmas, is a young child or adult, and so on. All gifts should be labeled directly on the packaging using the ID number provided upon matching. ID numbers should be easy to find on the package; please don’t use a tag as these may accidentally be torn off during the sorting process.