J-Sei in May

You can improve the lives of our most cherished community members by making a gift to J-Sei. And during the month of May, your gift will be matched dollar for dollar by 8 generous donors up to $50,000.  Those donors are Kay Yatabe, Bruce and Valerie Hironaka in honor of Diane Wong, Arch Insurance Group, and 5 who wish to remain anonymous.

J-Sei provides healthy home-delivered Japanese meals and in-person communal lunches, in-person and online wellness and cultural programs, family caregiver support services, a caregiver registry, case management and friendly visitors for Asian American communities in the East Bay of Northern California. 

Lunch at our Emeryville Center

Here is how we do it:

Your gift provides warm, delicious and nutritious Japanese meals that get delivered to the homes of over 230 seniors over 190 square miles from central Oakland through El Cerrito, Hayward, San Leandro, San Lorenzo and Walnut Creek. This year we delivered over 37,000 meals. We also provide in-person dining for lunch at our Emeryville center which serves over 5000 meals a year.

Home Meal Delivery

These meals are prepared by J-Sei's own chef, Yuji Ishikata, who shops for the freshest ingredients and makes sure the meals are nutritionally balanced and comforting. These meals are cooked in J-Sei's own kitchen to ensure food safety.

Your gift also makes it possible for J-Sei to continue providing its popular workshops and cultural programs for the J-Sei community. 

Family Festival

J-Sei offers 18 classes in-person and 15 online classes. More than 450 seniors participate in these programs. Here are some of our class offerings:  

• Botanical Print Making
• Brain, Balance and Body Work

• Kimekomi Dolls
• Let's Groove Hip Hop Dancing

• Mokuhanga, Japanese woodblock printing
• Ukelele

• J-Sei Sings
• Japanese Conversation

• Origami
• Tai Chi

• Family Caregiver Support
• Memoir Writing 
• Qi Gong

• Mah Jong
• Watercolor

Reading with Satsuki Ina and her illustrator son, Adrien Tomine

We continue to expand and deepen our understanding with the sharing of Nikkei stories. We have hosted talks with yonsei scholar Koji Lau-Ozawa on Old Leupp Citizen Isolation Center, and Cactus Blossom, a joint project on Gila River with poet and professor Brynn Saito. Incorporating plant materials from our gardens, we learned Botanical Printmaking with Dorothy Yuki.

J-Sei At the Movies showcases different genres of Japanese films followed by lively discussions. This past year, we had the rare opportunity to hear from Asian American television writers, cinematographers, and documentary filmmakers.

Case Management is another crucial component to J-Sei's work. J-Sei's case managers assess senior needs and coordinate resources and care. Case managers provide intensive support and escort when needed and are especially important when no family members are in the area. This year our case managers worked with 98 seniors.

 

This year's Give in May campaign is in memory of Alan Maeda who served on the J-Sei Board of Directors, facilitated our aging support groups, and was on our Give in May for J-Sei team from the very beginning.

Now more than ever, we need to have a strong sense of community as we age. Many studies show that a deep connection with others is crucial to healthy aging. Please help J-Sei keep our community vibrant and thriving.

Thank you so much for your support!

POPULATIONS SERVED
Japanese : Korean : Pacific Islander : Chinese : Filipino : Hawaiian