All Ages
1. Friends with Firetrucks
Description: Families will work on creating a special “thank you” art project for our Miami Beach Fire Department for all their hard work and service to our community. Tokens of gratitude projects will be completed in person at Temple during Mitzvah Day. We will then head over as a group to deliver our projects to the fire station and learn about the services provided by our local firefighters.
Up to 10 families.
Captains: Heather Pachter and Michael Pardo
Location: Temple Beth Sholom and Miami Beach Fire Department,
2300 Pine Tree Drive
Ages: All ages
2. Kosher Food Bank Scavenger Hunt
Description: If you like solving fun riddles, having fun with friends, and competition, you will want to take advantage of our scavenger hunt benefiting the Kosher Food Bank! Participants will fund their scavenger hunt as a donation. After the hunt, all volunteers are invited to the KFB to help stock shelves. Up to 25 volunteers.
Captains: Lou Dogan
Location: Publix Supermarket on the Bay, 1920 West Avenue
Ages: All ages, children must be supervised by parents
3. Community Refrigerators with Buddy System MIA
Description: Join (or bring) a group of friends to help stock community refrigerators in nearby areas where residents need food. These refrigerators are maintained by Buddy System MIA, a non-profit founded in 2020 to help neighbors who are facing food insecurity. We will purchase food in advance, clean out and restock the refrigerators, and connect with those who might visit to obtain food.
Up to 12 volunteers.
Captain: Debra Leibowitz
Made possible by the Richard A. Sharpstein Humanitarian Fund
Locations: Three locations near Temple Beth Sholom:
(Overtown, Little Haiti & North Beach, where the fridge is named in Richard’s memory)
Ages: All ages, children much be supervised by adults
Family Friendly
4. Blessings in a Backpack
Description: Please join us in packing bags of food to be delivered to local elementary school children on Miami Beach who are food insecure and rely on school breakfasts and lunches. The school counselors distribute the bags of snack items to children in need to help bridge the gap.
Up to 40 volunteers.
Captains: Marina Ganopolsky, Kelsey Levy and Tiffany Hurwitz
Location: Temple Beth Sholom
Ages: 2+
5. Mischloach Manot (Purim Baskets) for Holocaust Survivors
Description: The Blue Card is a non-profit organization that partners with the JCS to provide direct financial assistance to Holocaust survivors in need. More than half of the survivors, most of whom are women, fall below the poverty line and struggle to afford basic needs such as food and healthcare. Help bring joy to these survivors’ lives by assembling Purim baskets filled with festive food and hand-decorated cards. Each family is asked to contribute $25 to purchase food items . Up to 30 volunteers.
Captains: Shelby Kempler, Chloe Fuller, and Caryn Pardo
Location: Temple Beth Sholom
Ages: 3+
Cost: $25
6. Lentils and Love: Lentil Soup Project with the Kosher Food Bank
Description: Ingredients: lentils, rice, veggies, and love. Help create hundreds of beautiful gift jars filled with all the ingredients for lentil soup. Each jar, a hot meal for a family of four, will be provided to the Kosher Food Bank. This project is a great introduction to community service for young children.
Up to 30 volunteers.
Captains: Ashley Gilboa and Emily Sherman
Location: Temple Beth Sholom
Ages: 3+
7. Pack a Preemie Pack
Description: ICU Baby makes a difference in the lives of South Florida families fighting for their critically ill newborn in the NICU. We will assemble packs with essential NICU items, handwritten notes of encouragement, and art for the families. Completed packs are given to an ICU Baby representative, who will deliver them to NICU families around South Florida. Up to 10 families.
Captains: Amy Ostroff and Jordan Weinstein
Location: Temple Beth Sholom
Ages: 3+
8. Bagels and Boot Camp for Israel, with Michelle Schucher (new)
Description: Join the Caleb and Calder Sloan Awesome Foundation along with Captains Chris, Carla and Caleb Sloan and Dana, Chloe, and Jordyn Zuckerman,
for a fun day of bagels and boot camp with Michelle Schucher. This is a family friendly event at Muss Park by TBS to benefit Friends of the IDF.
Up to 50 volunteers.
Captains: Jordyn, Chloe & Dana Zuckerman; Caleb, Carla & Chris Sloan
Time: 11am – 12:30pm
Location: Muss Park, 4300 Chase Avenue
Ages: 10+
9. Playdate at Lotus House
Description: Join us for a family-friendly hands-on project at the Lotus House, where we work together to give back to homeless women and children. Sheltering 1,550+ women and children annually, Lotus House is the country’s largest shelter for women and children. They provide shelter, resources, and multi-faceted, comprehensive supportive services to help our guests successfully exit the shelter system and lead lives of greater opportunity. The project is good for elementary-age students with an adult. We will make picture frames and do other fun activities. Up to 10 volunteers.
Captains: Rachel, Max, and Hannah Umlas
Location: Lotus House, 217 NW 15th Street
Ages: 10+
10. Tzedakah on the Water: Paddleboarding/Kayak and Cleanup for a cause
Description: Participants will begin with a ranger-led 2-hour park tour and cleanup of the nature areas focusing on preserving animal, plant, and marine life. This will include a special nature education session from a ranger which will be determined as the event gets closer based on the park’s events. Bring your paddle board or one will be provided (life jacket, paddle, and kayak will be provided). No prior experience necessary to kayak. Experienced SUP may paddleboard. Those 12 and under must be on a kayak with an adult.
Up to 50 volunteers.
Captain: Andrew Barnett
Location: Oleta River State Park, 3400 NE 163rd Street
11:00 am -1:00 pm, check-in: 10:30 am
Ages: 5+
Cost: $60 adults (18 and up), $50 for children 17 and under, a portion of which will go to park preservation for Friends of Oleta River State Park
11. jLAB Mitzvah Day Project
Description: Calling all jLAB kids from 2nd grade through 8th grade! Join us at TBS where we will make sandwiches and pack lunch bags to bring to our needy community members at Miami Rescue Mission. We will also decorate the bags, discuss how we are all truly one community, and the importance of Tikkun Olam. Up to 40 volunteers.
Captains: Allison Greenfield and Rachel Samek
Location: Temple Beth Sholom
Ages: 2nd grade and up
12. Food Rescue
Description: In conjunction with Food Rescue US-Miami, our Mitzvah Day group will learn about the value of reducing food waste, rescuing food from local supermarkets, and the impact of food waste on the environment. Food insecurity causes poor health, and emotional distress, and is a mental burden. As a group, we will “rescue” food from Whole Foods and deliver it to Lotus House.
We look forward to spending Mitzvah Day impacting the environment and helping people! Up to 8 volunteers.
Captains: Rachel Unger, Michael Feldman and Family
Location: Temple Beth Sholom and off-site
Ages: 8+
13. Mompacks for Lotus House
Description: Mompacks for Lotus House is a community campaign to encourage the purchase of new diaper bags and diaper bag items for residents of Miami’s Lotus House. We have an Amazon Wish List with items requested by the facility that will be shared in the community. shorturl.at/yBPQR
On Mitzvah Day, we will unpack delivered goods, collate them, and pack them into cars for delivery to Lotus House.
Help collect various items which are needed at Lotus House. Donations can be made at TBS before Mitzvah Day and on Mitzvah Day. On Mitzvah Day, volunteers will gather at TBS to create inspirational cards for the new mothers at Lotus House.
Captains: Stacey Laskin and Diana Ciampitt
Location: Temple Beth Sholom and Lotus House, 217 NW 15th Street, Miami
Ages: 3+ for making cards, 15+ for fundraising
14. The Phoenix Reading Project Book Collection
Description: Please donate gently used books for kids, teens, and adults who are living at the Chapman Partnership for the Homeless. We will organize them on Mitzvah Day morning at Beth Sholom, then we’ll deliver them to Chapman’s library. Up to 12 volunteers.
Captains: Catie Tandy and Heidi Tandy
Location: Temple Beth Sholom and Chapman Partnership, 1500 N Miami Avenue
Ages: 10+
15. Food Distribution Project for Miami Beach Residents
Description: We will be setting up a contactless food drive for as many as 300 families who are unable to afford food to feed their families every week.
Volunteers will pack and place food boxes and cans in recipients’ baskets as they walk through Up to 10 volunteers.
Captains: Owen Basner and Julie Basner
Location: 833 6th Street, Miami Beach, FL. 33139
Ages: 11+
16. Beach Cleanup with Surfrider Foundation
Description: Help to keep our city beautiful and protect the ocean and waterways for us and future generations. This is part of our work on our climate change Initiative for the year. At Temple Beth Sholom we follow the teaching In Deuteronomy, “justice, justice shall you pursue,” and do our part to repair the world (tikkun olam). This year, we are focusing on climate change and the environment. Working with Miami Surfrider to clean and restore our beaches and waterfront is one way you can help repair the world and save our beautiful natural resources.
Up to 50 people.
Captains: Doris Galindo and Stacy Savett
Location: Beach location to be determined
Ages: 8+
17. Welcome Home Hero (new)
Description:
40 people (approximately 10 families).
Captains: Laurie Torban, Rebecca Gordon, and Lori Maltz
Location: Temple Beth Sholom
Ages: 6 and up (family friendly)
18. Innovative School of Temple Beth Sholom Mitzvah Day Project
Description: Calling all Innovative School learners and Elementary-age participants, Kindergarten through 5th grade! Join us at TBS where we will learn about food insecurity in Miami-Dade County. In keeping with the Innovative School’s values, we will make meals for those experiencing food insecurity. Learners and their families will gather together and bring food to create meals delivered by Be The Change South Florida. Be The Change South Florida is a nonprofit organization working to combat food insecurity and food waste in South Florida. A representative from this organization will attend and share information with the learners. This will be an impactful morning.
Up to 50 volunteers.
Captains: Stacy Penson, Barbara Schpilberg, and the Innovative School’s Elementary Level teaching team
Location: Temple Beth Sholom
Ages: Kindergarten through 5th grade
19. Family Field Day at the Miami Beach JCC with Foster Care Youth (new)
Description: Voices For Children is a beacon of hope for abused, abandoned, and neglected children and youth in the Miami-Dade County foster care system. They provide critical support for advocacy, essential needs and positive experiences. Join us for a morning where we will work on a special project to support these children. Up to 25 participants.
Captains: Adam Schimel
Location: Temple Beth Sholom and possibly off-site
Ages: 1st grade and up, children must be accompanied by an adult
Teens and Up
20. Imagine, Learn, Play Create
Description: We provide a day of fun at the Miami Children’s Museum for children and families from Kids in Distress. Kids in Distress is an organization that is dedicated to preventing child abuse, preserving families, and treating children who have been abused and neglected. During their visit, the children can explore the museum with the volunteers while the foster parents get to relax. We also provide lunch for the families. The event runs from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm.
Up to 20 volunteers.
Captains: Karli Breslow and Hannah Linder
Location: Miami Children’s Museum, 980 MacArthur Causeway
Ages: 12+
21. TBS Sisterhood Hygiene Baskets for Seniors
Description: We create festive baskets filled with much-needed toiletries for seniors that the JCS Kosher Food Bank distributes.
8-10 volunteers.
Captains: Myrna Morris, Dana Grodin, Kim Haber, and Judy Barredo
Location: Temple Beth Sholom Welcome Center
Ages: 13+
22. Re-Home Your Phone (and more) – Electronics Recycling
Description:
Captains: Jack Nelson and Sarah Giller Nelson
Location: Temple Beth Sholom
Ages: Teens
23. Giving Back to Gibson Park
Description: Please join us for a carnival day with the local community that utilizes Gibson Park in Overtown, Miami. We will craft, play sports, serve lunch, and present a carnival. We will also host a basketball shooting contest, tour the facility, fill the community fridge and hear from a speaker about the local community.
Unlimited volunteers.
Captains: Ryan Meltzer, Hannah Zuckerman and Suzanne Meltzer
Location: Gibson Park, 350 N.W. 13th Street
Ages: Teens
24. Blood and Platelets Drive
Description: One in three of us will need a blood transfusion in our lifetime, and this life-sustaining fluid is available through the generosity of donors. Not only is blood required for trauma patients but also cancer patients, surgical patients, and individuals with inherited blood disorders. The reason to donate is simple: it helps save lives. You can donate whole blood or platelets. This year, we ask that blood donors sign up in advance on Eventbrite and choose a time for their donation.
Location: Temple Beth Sholom, all day
Ages: 16+ (with parental consent if under 18)
Adults
25. Havdalah Candle Making and Spice Bags with Yodeah
Description: Join Yodeah in creating beautiful Havdalah candles and spice bags that we will donate to families at the Kosher Food Bank. Participants will participate in a step-by-step demonstration to learn how to make the candles. The program will include a brief presentation by Dr. Elizabeth Etkin-Kramer discussing Jewish hereditary genetic mutations, especially the BRCA mutation, and why this information can save lives. One in forty Ashkenazi Jews carries a genetic mutation on the BRCA gene that can increase their risk of cancer. Learn about this and other cancer-related genetic mutations in Ashkenazi Jews and have an opportunity to order a low-cost medical-grade saliva test. Get tested. It can save your life. Attending this program costs $18, which will go towards purchasing the candles and spice materials.
Up to 25 volunteers.
Captains: Adrienne Pardo, Caryn Duboff, Caryn Pardo, Dr. Elizabeth Etkin-Kramer, and Dr. Robin Straus-Furlong
Location: Temple Beth Sholom
Ages: 16+
Cost: $18
26. Mitzvah Day with The Tribe
Description: Join The Tribe, an inclusive community for South Florida’s young Jewish professionals, as they engage in a meaningful and hands-on community project. More information will be online.
Captains: Laurin Friedland
Location: Off-site
Ages: Young Professionals
Additional Collections
27. New to You with Sisterhood
Description: It’s time to clean all the closets throughout your home, find all your gently used or never-worn clothes, and give them a new home. On Mitzvah Day, from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, you can drop off your clothes at Temple Beth Sholom for The Lotus House, Florida Breast Cancer Foundation, and Veterans groups. Please sort the clothes in separate bags for men, women, children, and teenagers. Mark the bag with those descriptions. You may also drop off your clothes in the week leading up to Mitzvah Day. Let’s make this the biggest giving year and help the many who are in need! Unlimited volunteers. Strong teens needed!
Location: Temple Beth Sholom
Captains: Phyllis Winston, Kim Haber, Oleva Benrey, and Judy Barredo
28. Miami Book Fair’s Literacy Initiative, The Children’s Trust Books for Free
Description: Let’s collect as many gently-used children’s books as possible for our community’s underserved children who need them. In partnership with The Children’s Trust, Miami Book Fair stocks 80 bookshelves all over town— from juvenile court to community service offices, clinics to parks, and community centers with gently-used children’s books. Over 5000 books are taken home weekly from the shelves, some distributed at special events, and even more are delivered to non-profits around town to distribute directly to their community. Over 100,000 children’s books have been given to readers of all ages since January 2023. We can help keep the shelves stocked by donating baby books, first readers, and picture books. And, together, we can change the statistic that only 1 in 300 children own a book at home.
Drop-off bin will be in the TBS Welcome Center starting January 10th and collections on Mitzvah Day.
Captain: Lisa Palley
Booths to Visit
29. PACT – People Acting for Community Together
Description: Temple Beth Sholom is a proud member of Miami PACT – People Acting for Community Together. PACT is an interfaith community organizing group that works to make lasting change and hold leaders accountable. Their current initiatives are reducing unnecessary arrests and working on rent issues and homelessness. Stop by our booth to learn more about PACT’s work and how you can get involved in strengthening our community through justice work.
Captain: Jonathan Sepsenwol
Ages: All ages
30. Yodeah – Hereditary Cancers in Ashkenazi Jews
Description: One in forty Ashkenazi Jews carries a genetic mutation on the BRCA gene that can increase their risk of cancer. Learn about this and other cancer-related genetic mutations in Ashkenazi Jews and have an opportunity to take a low-cost saliva test. Get tested. It can save your life. Visit us on Mitzvah Day!
Captains: Dr. Elizabeth Etkin-Kramer and Dr. Robin Straus-Furlong
31. Gun Violence Prevention Task Force
Description: Our mission is to promote advocacy, education, and community engagement with respect to gun violence prevention issues. We will be presenting educational material about our Task Force as well as information about local, state, and federal legislative initiatives. This year, the community organization, Bullets4Life, whose mission is to support parents of children who have died as a result of gun violence, will be at our table and will be selling their jewelry and working with people to make their own jewelry. Bullets4Life’s mission is to obtain donated bullets and create jewelry in order to make something beautiful and meaningful from something that can be harmful. In addition, we will have information about Moms Demand Action and the educational program Be SMART which is a nonpartisan and non-political program that teaches about the importance of responsible gun storage and common-sense steps that all adults can take to prevent children from getting unsupervised access to guns. Free gun locks will be available.
Captains: Hilary Feldman and Lauren Cantor
32. American Cancer Society –
Cancer Action Network
Description: Florida ranks #2 in cancer incidences in the country – In 2021 alone, more than 20,000 women in Florida will be diagnosed with breast cancer. When detected and treated early, the cure rates are much improved. However, only about 8% of women between the ages of 50-64 years that are uninsured and at or below 200% of the federal poverty level can gain access to mammograms and treatment. We need to urge FL Legislators to invest in The Florida Breast & Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, which provides essential screenings and Medicaid eligibility for women. Please join our efforts in increasing support for this vital program. We will have a petition available to encourage our state legislature to increase funding to the Mary Brogan Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection and Treatment program that helps fund screening tests for underserved women and enables them to receive Medicaid if found to have cancer to facilitate early treatment.
Captain: Donna Lundy
Location: Welcome Center
33. Honor an Israeli Volunteer with Magen David Adom
Description: Make thank you cards for the volunteers who serve Magen David Adom in Israel, especially during the war. Sit on a real medi-cycle and learn about the work of this amazing organization. When there’s a medical emergency, there’s one organization that Israelis count on to save lives. In the United States, ambulances and blood services are handled by an array of hospitals and organizations. In Israel, one organization does it all—Magen David Adom. Thousands of volunteers serve the people of Israel, regardless of race, color, or religion.
Captain: Magen David Adom Volunteers
Location: Welcome Center
34. Compost for Life
Description: Learn about composting. It’s easy. Demonstrations and sign-up for home composting at a special discount.
Location: Welcome Center