Last Sunday, Federation volunteers participated in the second Community Service Day of 2014! Over 90 of us joined in service programs across the city that focused on supporting veterans, people with special needs, people experiencing food insecurity and poverty, those living in isolation, as well as protecting our environment.
- At Temple Beth Am, volunteers helped Jewish Family Service run their annual Clarence Gerber Memorial Passover Seder. For over 30 years, JFS has sponsored community Passover seders that offer older adults, who are alone and do not have family or friends with whom to celebrate the holiday, a place to gather for a traditional seder and holiday meal. Our Federation volunteers helped to make this day special for over 120 people by assisting with set up, serving the meal, helping guests with their seats, serving the meal, and clean up.
- In Westwood, we participated in gardening activities with Grow Native Nursery at the Veterans Affairs campus to support their environmental sustainability efforts. We also learned about the nursery’s work with veterans, who learn valuable horticultural skills to better equip them for future employment opportunities.
- In Silver Lake, our Young Adults of Los Angeles (YALA) volunteers helped to brighten the day for the homeless residents living in the People Assisting The Homeless (PATH) facility. Volunteers cooked and serve lunch to over 50 residents as well as participated in arts and crafts activities with them. Volunteers learned about PATH through a tour of their incredible facility, which houses a “mall” that brings together more than a dozen homeless service providers in a single location. Homeless residents can access housing assistance, health services, employment counseling, and more, all under one roof.
- At the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, we performed the service of honoring the memories of those who perished in the Holocaust. Volunteers participated in a guided tour, heard first-hand from a Holocaust survivor, donated non-perishable foods and other items for Holocaust survivors in-need, and learned about the ways that our Federation supports Holocaust survivors and other people in-need through our Caring for Jews In Need Strategic Initiative.
- Over in Agoura Hills, we helped the Friendship Circle of the Conejo Valley run their annual Friendship Walk and raise awareness about the special needs programming they provide for the community. Federation volunteers helped with event check-in/registration and joined other community members in participating in Friendship Circle’s walk!
Whether it was actively making our community more inclusive, brightening a Holocaust survivor’s day, serving a meal to those in need or cultivating a local garden, our dedicated Federation volunteers set the stage for a sunny Spring season to arrive. A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEERS! See below for photos of us making a difference.
We hope to see you on June 1th – our third of six Community Service Days in 2014.
To be placed on our volunteer e-mail list, please fill out our short volunteer sign-up form. And don’t forget to check us out on Facebook!
