Mitzvah Day 2023
Many thanks to Nicole Halmos, Lynn Katz Danzig, and George Rubin for taking Mitzvah Day Photos!
George posted a video from Mitzvah Day on YouTube... take a look!
MITZVAH DAY - January 22, 2023
Mitzvah Day is one of the most rewarding and engaging days on the Temple Shalom calendar. On this wonderful day, the entire Temple Shalom community comes together to work to repair our world and make it a better place through service projects. Below are descriptions of some of the projects we work on for Mitzvah Day. Our whole One Family community is encouraged to participate in these projects. A delicious breakfast was supplied by the Men's Club and t-shirts were distributed to volunteers. This year, approximately 400 members of Temple Shalom participated in the following projects:
Temple Shalom Blood Drive
32 pints of blood were collected from 43 registered donors. That's 96 lives saved!
Meals of Hope
A favorite, traditional Mitzvah Day partnership. Each year, Temple Shalom members come together to help end hunger by forming assembly lines and packing over 50,000 meals for those in need here in Collier County. Most of our packed meals are donated to the local food banks and food pantries. This year 48,680 meals were packed by 165 volunteers!
Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC)
Donations of new children’s books and stuffed animals were packed into 100 bags and given to the CAC which helps children and their families who have been the victims of abuse and/or domestic violence. For more info please contact Marcy Cotton (marcyacotton@gmail.com) or Phyllis Luts (lutsp@aol.com).
Butterfly Garden Refresh & River Rock Decorating
Children and adults decorated 20 - 25 decorative, mosaic rocks for the butterfly garden. Volunteers also help to refurbish the garden after the damage caused by Hurricane Ian.
Beading for Betterment
45 beaded necklaces were made by 20 volunteers for children of the Guadalupe Center in Immokalee to give as a gift on Mother’s Day.
Baking Dog Biscuits
A favorite activity for the kids! This year, volunteers baked dog biscuits and stuffed goodie bags for 117 dogs and 23 cats at the local animal shelter.
Thank You Notes to First Responders
25 - 30 volunteers participated in writing thank you notes to first responders in our community.
Empty Bowls
20 Bowls were decorated for eventual sale by Empty Bowls Naples, Inc. which distributes grants to local non-profit organizations supporting their mission to eliminate hunger in our community.
Collections for Mitzvah Day:
Toiletry Packets
400 bags were assembled from donations of travel size toiletry samples for girls and boys and distributed to the homeless students in Collier County.
Bedtime Bundles
Rabbi Ariel Boxman and the Preschool collected new, children’s pajamas (girls & boys), new pillow cases, new stuffed animals, toothbrushes and toothpaste to be packed. The pillow cases were decorated, packed with the donated items and distributed to the Shelter for Abused Women. Approximately 50 bundles were assembled by 35 volunteers.
Women to Women and Girls
Seven volunteers sorted a collection of donated feminine hygiene pads to benefit 145 women and girls. Distribution was made by the Collier/Lee chapter of Hadassah.
OFF SITE ACTIVITY
Harry Chapin Food Bank
A group of 14 volunteers went to the Harry Chapin Food Bank and helped to pack 2,280 lbs. of food that was distributed to 874 families in need.
One final request. If you are able to volunteer, Harry Chapin Food Bank requires the completion of a volunteer application. Below is the link that will let you complete the application online.
