Volunteer with JCFS Chicago and make a positive change in your community.
We match your skills, availability and passions with our volunteer opportunities. Our projects range from once a year to once a week, from all across Chicago to the suburbs.
Our volunteers are an essential part of helping us execute our mission to help strengthen the lives of children, adults and families.
- Give back & lend a helping hand
- Explore personal interests & passions
- Meet new people
- Uncover hidden skills and talents
- Enrich your education & build your resume
Get Involved Today!
We have volunteer opportunities for individuals, groups and families. To get started, please complete the Volunteer Interest Form where we list all of our available opportunities. A member of our volunteer department will contact you shortly.
Please contact Haley Zimmerman for questions or Mitzvah opportunities.
Give Back During the Holidays
For many of the families we work with, parents struggle to pay their housing and food expenses, so gifts and new winter clothes for their children during the holiday season is nearly impossible. To ensure that the children we work with don’t go through the holidays without receiving even one gift, we host a Holiday Gift Drive and Project Winter Warmth each year.
Around 500 of the children that JCFS works with through essential support services like foster care, counseling, and our therapeutic day school, give us their top three wishes, including their sizes, favorite colors and characters for winter-wear. With your help as a volunteer, children in need will see their wishes become a reality this holiday season.
Holiday Gift Drive
To ensure the safety of our staff, volunteers and clients we made some changes and we will only be collecting e-gift cards this year.
Become a JCFS Holiday Gift Drive donor and help make a child's wish become reality.
- Sign up today! Fill out the online form to sponsor a child this holiday season.
- We will match you with a child (or children) and provide you with that child’s wish list.
- You may choose where to purchase an e-gift card based on the items requested.
- Email your e-gift card to WinterProjects@JCFS.org
Sign up today!
Once the items are purchased, we need volunteers like you to help sort the donated holiday gifts and match them to each child. The work requires teamwork, organizational skills, and some light lifting. It’s a great activity for a family group, book club, work colleagues, or others who want to spend time together while doing something to help others. Volunteers may be as young as age 13 but must be accompanied by an adult. Toy sorting will take place at the Elaine Kersten Children’s Center in Northbrook. This activity has been paused due to COVID-19.
Project Winter Warmth
Through generous funding provided by JUF's Chanukah Coat Club, JCFS is proud to provide families with new hats, gloves, coats, and more this winter season. The winter clothing that our clients are gifted from Project Winter Warmth are often the first new items of clothing they have ever received. The impact of having new clothes for these children’s self-esteem cannot be overstated.
We will need volunteers to help us shop at local Targets in 2-hour time slots and to unpack and sort the items that have been purchased online. This activity has been paused due to COVID-19.
