On Sunday the Temple Sholom Selma Maisel Nursery School hosted a school-wide Mitzvah Day featuring hands-on, age-appropriate projects for families to participate in to benefit the local community.
With help from their parents, preschoolers were given the opportunity to: make snack and play bags for the residents at Kids in Crisis; assemble comfort bags with toiletries for Inspirica’s Women Shelter; measure and sort beans for the food pantry at Neighbor to Neighbor; decorate and plant flower pots for the seniors at Nathaniel Witherall, and more.
The program was organized by the school’s Parent Association as part of the synagogue’s ongoing Social Action initiatives.
“Mitzvah Day is always one of our favorite days at Temple Sholom because it puts the Jewish value of tikkun olam (repairing the world) into action and makes it tangible for young children,” said Lori Baden, Associate Executive Director. “By helping to pack a snack bag for a child in need or by planting a flower pot to bring a smile to someone’s day, they begin to understand the impact of their efforts in a meaningful and memorable way.”
Leading up to Mitzvah Day, the Parent Association collected more than 100 pairs of children’s pajamas for the Domestic Violence Crisis Center in Stamford, a recipient of the Pajama Program.
The Temple’s next big collection will be its Pre-Passover Food Drive (held through April 4) to benefit Neighbor to Neighbor.
For more details about making a donation to support the Pre-Passover Food Drive and the mitzvah of feeding the hungry, visit www.templesholom.com.
Temple Sholom Selma Maisel Nursery School is located at 300 East Putnam Avenue, Greenwich.