Sign-ups are now open for 13 volunteer projects in Sedona and Cottonwood as part of the 2023 Sedona Mitzvah Day effort, which will take place on Sunday, Oct. 29, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. and will be followed by an optional closing ceremony at the synagogue at 100 Meadowlark Drive.
“Volunteers will sign in at the synagogue on Sunday, Oct. 29 from 12:30 to 1 p.m., pick up food and water, sign liability forms and get name tags with the Mitzvah Day logo,” the press release for the event stated. “Then volunteers will proceed to their work sites and perform their good deeds.
An alternative meeting site is the Habitat for Humanity Headquarters, at 737 S. Main Street [in] Cottonwood.”
JCSVV Rabbi Alicia Magal will offer a blessing and the volunteers will then proceed to their chosen work sites. This year’s volunteer options include cleaning up the ground and hauling branches at Habitat for Humanity in Cottonwood, assisting Manzanita Outreach in Cottonwood, trash pickup for the U.S. Forest Service in the Village of Oak Creek, yard work for the Hope House, organizing supplies and cleaning at the Humane Society of Sedona, envelope stuffing for the Community Food Bank of Sedona and teddy bear knitting at the JCSVV.
This annual event, sponsored by the JCSVV with assistance from neighboring churches, is an interfaith initiative dedicated to providing service to local organizations.
“It’s a day of doing good deeds volunteering for communities in Sedona and Cottonwood. It was started in 2007,” JCSVV representative Bea Hanks said. “[People] should sign up if they want to do good deeds for the community, and you can do it indoors or outdoors depending on your skills and your inclination.”
“The whole community is thrilled that Mitzvah Day is back,” event volunteer and SedonaKind board member Jawn McKinley said. “It brings the community together [and] those who need it, but [also] lifts our hearts and is a perfect lead into Thanksgiving. In past years, I’ve washed a lot of windows [for] elderly people and raked lawns and painted a bathroom down at Sedona Winds, and there were always kids also participating, which is a great thing because kids begin to learn the joy of volunteering early and how much fun it can be.”
Manzanita Outreach will most likely be having its volunteers prepare snack boxes that will be going out to Verde Valley schools as part of its Pack for Teachers program that provides snacks to area students.
“We do have some book sorting depending on the interest of the folks that come to Sedona Mitzvah Day for our children’s literacy program,” Manzanita Outreach Executive Director Ben Burke said. “When we do our food sharing, we bring the books out there, and any kid who comes can get their own book every single time that they come. Last year, we distributed just under 11,000 books into the Verde Valley.”
Volunteers should bring sunscreen, weather-appropriate clothing and closed-toe shoes if they have decided to participate in an outdoor project, such as light trail maintenance and trimming of vegetation at Red Rock State Park.
“If you have knitting needles, you can bring that if you’re going to be in the knitting group,” Hanks said. “The knitting group is for the International Rescue Society and a couple of places in Phoenix that harbor refugees and you can knit teddy bears, and stuff [them] and sew them together and also make holiday cards … Otherwise everything will be supplied because the Forest Service is supplying pickers and bags and [other equipment].”
This year’s event represents a return to form after a smaller event last year. “We had a mini-Mitzvah Day last year, so we’re excited to have it back,” Hanks said.
“The reasons that people volunteer are, they want to be a part of something bigger than themselves,” Burke said. “They’ll say that they find purpose in what they’re doing here. We do a lot to make sure people understand how what they are doing impacts the lives of people.”
The city of Sedona has also recognized Mitzvah Day with a proclamation approved at the Oct. 10 city council meeting.
“The Social Action Committee is working on backpacks for the schools, we have food collection going on and in January we’ll have [a] coat collection,” Hanks mentioned as examples of upcoming JCSVV projects.
To sign up for Mitzvah Day 2023, visit jcsvv.org, email the JCSVV Social Action Committee at socialaction@jcsvv.org or call (928) 204-1286.
