Melissa Desomma

Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles

Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles (www.jfsla.org) is an ‘extended family' that welcomes and serves people of all ages, ethnicities and religions with compassion and caring. Establishedin 1854, JFS is proud to offer a family of services for people in need. These nationally recognized services counsel and support individuals and families, helping nearly 100,000 people each year in the greater Los Angeles area. JFS provides food and shelter, connects people with disabilities to vital resources, and helps relatives and friends care for loved ones, young and old. JFS counsels families in crisis, and at-risk children through school based programs. JFS provides safe shelter for homeless families, as well as for abused women and their children, and helps them create independent lives. The families JFS serves have evolved over the last century and a half, but JFS' mission to strengthen and support families has never wavered.