For a new mother still recovering from childbirth, an older adult managing a chronic illness, or an at-risk family already stretched thin, something as basic as getting groceries into the home can become a daunting obstacle to maintaining good health. A trip to the store isn’t always simple, or even possible—and when food insecurity and health challenges collide, the people most in need of support are often the ones with the least capacity to go out and get it.

That’s the gap JCCGCI’s newest program is built to close. Through a partnership with Public Health Solutions, the Social Care Network: Healthy Homes program (SCN Healthy Homes) connects eligible Medicaid members with free kosher meals, groceries, cookware, and appliances, delivered right to their doors. Our team handles the eligibility screening and coordinates the services, so participants can focus on what matters most: their health and wellbeing at home, all at no cost to them.

For decades, JCCGCI has operated on the belief that health isn’t just about what happens in a doctor’s office. It’s shaped by whether someone has enough to eat, whether they can get to a follow-up appointment, and whether they have support during a difficult stretch. SCN Healthy Homes puts that belief into practice in one of the most direct ways possible: making sure food, and the basic tools to prepare and enjoy it, are never what stands between a family and better health.

Chief Operating Officer Esther Gottlieb, who is spearheading JCCGCI’s SCN Healthy Homes program, has seen firsthand how many families are quietly living with unmet needs. “The need is bigger than people realize, and it doesn’t discriminate,” she says. “Our goal with this program is simple: to meet that need wherever it shows up, and make sure no one has to face it alone.” 

The program is designed for New York Medicaid members facing some of life’s most demanding chapters. Eligible participants may include high-risk youth, Health Home members, those managing a chronic condition, postpartum or pregnant individuals, and households with a baby under one year old. Many of these households are already juggling multiple appointments, providers, and responsibilities, and nutritious food can easily become one more challenge to manage.

If any of these circumstances sound familiar, whether for yourself or someone you love, our team is ready to help you determine what services you may qualify for and connect you with resources that can make healthy eating easier and more accessible. These are moments when stability at home can make all the difference, and our goal is to make sure limited access to nutritious food never becomes an additional barrier to health and wellbeing.

“Good nutrition should never feel like an afterthought,” says Officer Esther Gottlieb. “We want every family to know that what shows up at their door is fresh, wholesome, and something they can actually look forward to.”

Getting started is simple. It begins with a free assessment to determine what services an individual or household may be eligible for, whether based on a health challenge, pregnancy, or another qualifying circumstance. For many families, the entire screening and eligibility process can be completed in under 30 minutes on a single phone call.

From there, our team reviews the household’s information, matches participants to the services that best fit their needs, and confirms delivery details. Once enrolled, eligible participants can begin receiving nutritious food and other approved supports right to their door, helping make healthy living more manageable as part of everyday life.

SCN Healthy Homes isn’t designed simply as a one-time helping hand. Once a household is enrolled, kosher groceries and meals may be provided on an ongoing basis according to the participant’s eligibility and approved service plan, giving families one less thing to worry about during an already difficult time.

The program currently serves households in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, and it’s also a gateway to the full range of support JCCGCI offers. Participants may be connected to other JCCGCI programs and services, from Mental Health Services and Older Adult Case Management to our Urban Neighborhood Services Multi-Service Center and Healthy Families program. For someone facing multiple challenges at once, one phone call can open the door to a broader network of resources developed through more than five decades of serving New Yorkers in need.

This is what JCCGCI has always sought to do: meet people during life’s hardest moments with practical, dependable support, delivered with care. With SCN Healthy Homes, we’re carrying that same commitment forward—one family, one meal, and one healthier home at a time.

👉 Think you or someone you love may qualify? Visit JCCGCI.ORG/SCN to learn more and request a free eligibility screening.