Mitzvah Day reminds us of our Jewish commitment to help others. Guided by the Jewish values of tikkun olam, our vision is to come together to build a more cohesive and strengthened community. Come join Schaarai Zedek and volunteer to become a “mitzvah maker.”
There are four ways to get involved in Mitzvah Day this year:
Make a donation and pick up a take-home project
From 9-10 AM, you can come to Schaarai Zedek’s parking lot to drop off donations for our Mitzvah Day partners (see list below) and pick up a take-home Mitzvah Day project. We will follow all COVID safety precautions, and you can remain in your car for a contactless experience.
Please help by donating the following items:
Take-home project:
Mitzvah Day Projects at CSZ:Join us from 10:30 AM-11:15 AM or 11:30 AM-12:15 PM for an on-site project
In addition to our Mitzvah Day Drive-Thru, we will have two sessions to choose from to volunteer on-site at CSZ. At either 10:30 AM or 11:30 AM, volunteers will have the chance to participate in one of several on-site Mitzvah Day projects, benefitting Camp Jenny, Clothes to Kids, The Diaper Bank, and Support Our Troops.
Volunteers are required to register in advance, and family members within the same household must choose the same project. Per our temple’s latest COVID policy update, whether inside or outside, all participants must be masked and seated by family or small groups of vaccinated adults, following CDC guidelines.
Camp Jenny: (Open to all ages) Our congregation has supported NFTY-SAR and NFTY-STR’s Mitzvah Project since its beginning. This year our teens have hosted a whole semester of virtual programming for the students at F.L. Stanton Elementary. We plan to return to traditional Memorial Day Weekend programming in the year to come, and we are excited to make tie-dyed pillowcases for each camper who will attend camp in 2022!
Clothes to Kids: (Open to all ages) Clothes to Kids provides clothing for school-aged children. We will take donations from our community and do the initial “simple sort” for all clothing donated. Donations of clothes will be accepted leading up to Mitzvah Day and on the day of the event.
The Diaper Bank: (Open to ages 8+) Parents must provide care centers with diapers, wipes, and diaper cream for the week for a child to attend daycare. Help us assemble diaper kits to aid families in need in the Tampa Bay Area!
Support Our Troops: (Open to all ages) There are countless challenges for our deployed soldiers; one we can help with is communicating with home. Through the local agency Support Our Troops, we will send cards to currently deployed troops. We will provide all the supplies you need to make cards and send meaningful messages to our troops.
Join other CSZ members out in the community
From 9-11 AM, meet with other congregants out in the community to benefit Feeding Tampa Bay and Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful.
Feeding Tampa Bay: (Open to ages 16+, anyone under 18 must have an adult with them) This project is taking place inside the Feeding Tampa Bay warehouse (4702 Transport Dr. Building 6), and while everyone will be required to stay masked for the entire project, we can’t guarantee physical distancing. We strongly recommend that only fully vaccinated individuals participate in this project.
Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful: (Open to ages 12+, anyone under 18 must have an adult with them) We will meet at Riverside Garden Park (3001 N Rome Ave) for a morning of cleaning up. We will provide all supplies for the clean-up. Please bring water and sunscreen, and dress for the climate. Even though this project is outside, participants must wear masks within six feet of anyone who does not live in the same household.