Volunteers Sought for Good Deeds Day

This Sunday volunteers will spread across the Valley doing good deeds, all part of Mitzvah Day, an event sponsored by the Jewish Federation Alliance.

“Last year we had over a thousand people who participated,” said Bonnie Somers, a spokeswoman for the alliance. “This year it’s much more ambitious.”

More than 70 volunteer projects have been planned across the city, with several in the Valley.

Mitzvah literally means commandment, but the term has evolved to include performing a good deed and taking an active role in the well-being of the community, Somers said.

This year organizers are focusing on projects that help children. Their efforts coincide with the National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths, organized by the Children’s Defense Fund.

Projects in the Valley include a barbecue at El Cariso Park in Sylmar for the Boys & Girls Club of the San Fernando Valley and a cleanup project at Taft High School in Woodland Hills.

“The hope is that this will not be a one-day effort, that this will create ongoing relationships in the community,” Somers said.

Sometimes the projects rebuild long-forgotten ties, she said. The Boys & Girls Club of the San Fernando Valley was founded with the help of a B’nai B’rith lodge, Somers said.

Mitzvah Day is a multi-faith effort that includes local churches and other community groups. Volunteers can be of any faith.

“Everybody’s welcome,” Somers said.

Those interested in being a volunteer on Mitzvah Day can call (818) 587-3203.