What a
day!
First stop Habonim
central – our temporary offices - to meet the team, eat the first pastries and
blow balloons
Then to Adafina in St
Johns Wood to see Bnei Akiva doing Mitzvah Day shopping. Lady Sacks joined us
which was a thrill and she dutifully bought some items and put them in the GIFT
donations box.
Back in the car to Tesco's on Englands Lane to briefly see South
Hampstead United presiding over the clearing of the shelves – all items donated
to New Horizons Homeless shelter.
On to Kentish Town City farm. Yes the
rain was now coming down and I confirmed my suspicion that mitzvah day umbrellas
should have been bought! Jonathan Freedland, Julia Neuberger and Dan Patterson
all joined this multi faith gathering and dutifully joined in with sweeping and
cleaning though they were all a bit wary of the sheep. A little pizza and on.
LondonUkraineNext to the WJR Packathon in Neasden. What an amazing gathering with hundreds of
people packing clothes and other items to send to the Ukraine.We had sent 8 teams of teens
from across London to assist with this massive task and
everyone was working together to get the job done.
Then to the Mitzvah Day
thank you event – with fireworks. Using food donated to us by the Mitzvah Day
shops and Brondesbury Cricket Clubs hall we had a wonderful evening and Zeddy
Lawrence from the Jewish News announced the winner of the Community Hero awards
- but it wouldn’t be fair for me to steal their thunder. Luckily lots of
volunteers on hand to clear up.
As I sat and watched and
listened, I paused for reflection. We are truly blessed in our community. Where
else would you find that level of participatory giving. What other community
could pull off something as positive and inclusive as Mitzvah Day.