Local synagogue helps St Ann’s Hospice with Mitzvah Day volunteering
Bowdon Synagogue based in Altrincham helped St Ann's Hospice for this year's Mitzvah Day
A team of volunteers from Bowdon Synagogue in Altrincham spent the afternoon volunteering for St Ann’s Hospice as part of Mitzvah Day.
Mitzvah Day is the UK’s largest faith-led day of social action. It is a Jewish led day focusing on bringing people of all faiths and backgrounds to volunteer side-by-side, building longstanding, genuine relationships.
The volunteers from Bowdon Synagogue spent their time at St Ann’s helping us with the gardening, cutting briars, trimming hedges, raking and collecting leaves which have fallen over autumn. They also helped us with preparations for the upcoming Great Mancunian Ball and were given a tour of the hospice by Chief Executive, Rachel McMillan and Head of Fundraising, Anne-Marie Wynne.
Sam Bernstein from Bowdon Synagogue said the group chose to help two charities for Mitzvah Day this year, St Ann’s Hospice, and the Wellspring, a homeless facility in Stockport.
Sam says she has known of St Ann’s for years as she always drove past the Heald Green hospice when dropping her children to school.
“I also had a friend who was treated here. She came here two days before she died. I saw first-hand what an amazing place it is. I had always heard of it but had never actually seen it until then, and I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to let other people see the work that goes on here,” Sam said.
Community Fundraiser for St Ann’s Hospice, Greg Kelly thanked Bowdon Synagogue for their volunteering efforts.
As St Ann’s is a registered charity, we rely on the community for their help in so many areas. Our gardens at our Heald Green site have become overrun with leaves from autumn so Bowdon Synagogue volunteering their time to help clear paths, cut back hedges, and trimming briars helps us out a great deal. It was also a brilliant way for us to learn more about Mitzvah Day and how it encourages social action Greg Kelly, Community Fundraiser for St Ann’s Hospice
Sam says Mitzvah Day as a concept has been going for nearly 20 years now.
“Mitzvah is a Jewish word, and it means ‘good deed’. It’s not about Jewish people helping the Jewish community, it’s about Jewish people working together with other communities and helping each other,” Sam said.
“Leading up to Mitzvah Day, I always look at other people in the wider community who might need help, hence us working with St Ann’s and the Wellspring.
“Mitzvah Day is not about fundraising, as we do that throughout the year. This is about getting people to do some good. It opens people’s eyes to the amount of people around them that are benefitting or can benefit from support and it brings us together,” she added.
Mitzvah Day officially took place on Sunday, November 24.