“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: what are you doing for others?” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
On Sunday, January 18, 10am – 12pm, we will honor Dr. King’s vision by giving back to our community.
Together, we will do hands-on projects that support our neighbors in need throughout the Washington, DC area.
This is a day for all ages to live out the Jewish value of tikkun olam—repairing the world—side by side with friends, family, and fellow congregants. All ages are welcome! Children 12 and under should be accompanied by an adult.
We have something for everyone – including projects you can do from home!
See the full list of projects below. All activities are at Temple Sinai except where indicated.
Want to show your support for this effort?
This program is generously underwritten by the Judy and Peter Blum Kovler Foundation.
We will make 40+ brown bag lunches for La Casa / Friendship Place. La Casa is a 40-unit Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) building for previously chronically homeless males located in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC.
These kits will include hygiene and useful winter items (socks, hand warmers) for clients of NW Community Food.
Fun fact: the food pantry was started in 2021 by Judy Ingram, daughter of 93-year old temple member Ann Ingram!
Please consider purchasing items for these kits through our Amazon Wish List.
Your fellow crafty congregants will make warm hats for the clients of Central Union Mission Family Resource Center. We will be crafting together at Temple Sinai from 10am – 12pm. You can also crochet/knit in advance and bring your completed item(s) to Temple Sinai on Mitzvah Day.
Please bring your own needles/hooks and yarn if you have it. We will have some extra supplies on hand. Participants should have some existing crochet or knitting experience. Email Lena Frumin with any questions.
You are welcome to make any size/color/pattern hat! For examples of some simple, beginner-level hats, click here or here.
We will be layering ingredients in Mason jars to create hearty, easy to prepare meals for families of Highland Elementary School in Wheaton. Temple Sinai’s relationship with Highland goes back many years through our former “Project Mensch” and we’re glad to be able to continue to support this community as part of our MLK Day.
Reminding someone that they are seen, supported, and valued is a powerful message for trans folks. We will write cards that will be discretely mailed alongside support packages to trans people with barriers in accessing healthcare through Point of Pride.
We will be making 100 kid-friendly activity kits to benefit Ayuda. Ayuda is an organization that provides legal services to the immigrant community. Our “activity kits” will keep kids busy while their parents have their legal consultations; the kids could then take the bags home with them. On MLK Mitzvah Day, we will assemble the activity kits, and decorate cards to go with them.
Please consider purchasing items for these kits through our Amazon Wish List.
Mazon has launched a national postcard campaign to flood the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) with messages demanding protection for basic needs programs that help our neighbors put food on the table.
Each postcard will represent 1,000 people experiencing hunger. Mazon’s goal is for 47,000 postcards to be delivered to Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins with a simple message: No one deserves to go hungry.
For our youngest helpers ages 0-5 and their families, we will be doing various projects including potting plants for the elderly, packing rice for a food pantry and more!
Volunteers are needed from 9:30am – 12:30pm to help run these kid-friendly projects! If interested, please sign up to volunteer specifically with the Mini-Mitzvahs here.
This activity will take place at the DC Diaper Bank warehouse, 8860 Monard Drive in Silver Spring, from 12pm – 2pm on Sunday, January 18.
Volunteer alongside your fellow congregants while repacking and bundling diapers for the DC Diaper Bank’s clients. There is a play area for young children so bring the kids!
Separate advanced registration for this activity. Please register here and then follow the instructions you receive in your confirmation email.
Have toys your kids don’t use anymore? Help Goods for Good (G4G) restock their toy pantry. Items go to newly resettled refugees and asylum seekers or families living in shelters or transitioning into permanent housing. Bring your toys directly to Goods for Good at 5830 Nebraska Ave., NW – just about half a mile from Temple Sinai. There are bins outside of G4G’s office where you can leave your new or gently used items.
Please review the list of accepted toys to make sure your items meet their requirements. G4G also accepts items for its clothing pantry!
Do you like to bake? Do you like to feed people? Here is your chance to do both! This is a great opportunity to do a mitzvah from home, on your own schedule. Also, kids make great challah helpers!
Bake a challah (or more than one!) at home, put each one in a plastic bag and bring it to Temple Sinai on Sunday, January 18th before 11 AM. Challahs will be delivered to NW Community Food pantry later that day. If you cannot be here on the 18th, feel free to label your challah and drop it off on Saturday, January 17.
Temple Sinai member and Challah Maker Jonathan Berlowe Binder has shared his family’s recipe for homemade challah – or make your own favorite recipe!
Baking a challah? Email Jonathan Berlowe Binder with the number of challahs you plan to make – you can change your mind (things come up – we get it!) but it will help us to plan accordingly. You can also ask Jonathan for assistance before or during your challah making.
Questions? Contact Jenny Cohen.