Baltimore's Jewish Community Gives Back To The Needy On Mitzvah Day
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — It happens every Christmas in Baltimore. The local Jewish community joins hands and gives back to help those in need.
Ron Matz reports hundreds of volunteers are performing acts of kindness to make this special day a little bit brighter.
Hundreds of volunteers pack the JCC on Park Heights Avenue. This is Mitzvah Day, helping hands, helping Baltimore.
"Mitzvah Day is a program of the Jewish Volunteer Connection that gets over a thousand people at the Park Heights JCC, the Owings Mills JCC and various locations throughout the community to volunteer and give a day of service," said Micah Damareck, co-chair of Mitzvah Day.
Baltimore's Jewish community is giving back on this Christmas Day by putting together 1500 winter care packages for the homeless full of toiletries, bottled water, toothpaste, gloves, socks and even homemade scarves.
"It's another way for us to have our faith in action,.not just faith in words but to go out and serve people," said Je Devance, ,Mitzvah Day volunterr
Volunteers of all ages make it happen.
"We're making bags for the homeless who are not having a very great Christmas because they don't have food or homes. We're also making cards for Israeli soldiers. It makes me feel like I've helped someone in a very great way," said 8-year-old Alexa Grossman.
It's the fourth Mitzvah Day for the Devance family.
"We started to come to Mitzvah Day four years ago. I was invited by a friend who was Jewish. They invited us and we've been coming ever since and we love it," Devance said.
The winter care packages are loaded into vans and then delivered to Baltimore homeless shelters and soup kitchens.
"We have about 300 or 400 people at this location, the JCC Park Heights, loading gift bags to be delivered throughout Baltimore City. They will go to various locations that need help," said Michelle Damareck, co-chair of Mitzvah Day.
It's a day of joy and giving back, a mitzvah on Christmas Day.
"The Jewish community is coming together to take our power and do something good on one day JVC also does do other activities throughout the year," Michelle Damareck said.
"A mitzvah is doing a good deed, doing something for someone else besides yourself; it's giving back," Micah Damareck said.
Mitzvah Day activities also took place at the Jewish Community Center in Owings Mills.
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