It’s not Mitzvah Day. As regular readers of the Ham & High well know, that is in November (19th this year). However, doing a Mitzvah (a good deed) is not limited to one faith group or community. Nor is it limited to one day a year.
This year, indeed, this month, saw the launch of the Big Help Out, aimed at getting more people volunteering.
Like Mitzvah Day, the BHO is focused on one day and it is linked to the Coronation and the bank holiday weekend.
We were delighted to support the launch event at The Passage, a charity for homeless people in Westminster. There, seven faith community leaders, including the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Chief Rabbi, cooked and served lunch to service users, and sorted and folded donated clothes (though I think some of the folding actually needed refolding by their wonderful volunteers!).
Similar to Mitzvah Day, the aim of the BHO is to be a kick start, a celebration and a recognition of the millions of people round the country, including here in North London, who give their time to support wonderful and sadly much needed charities.
For Mitzvah Day, the BHO provides another opportunity to do something with a new partner from a different faith tradition. We call this a Mitzvah Moment and the beauty is that these can happen anytime, anywhere and with anyone!
On May 8, volunteers will be at the Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, a site which has been used as a place of worship for people with non-conformist views since 1692. There, under the guidance of Revd Kate Dean we will share a morning cuppa, collect food for the local Queens Crescent Community Association’s foodbank and discus opportunities for volunteering together in the future.
While it is tragic that there is so much local need, it is also heartwarming that so many people want to help out. So whether the BHO is just one more event in your regular social action calendar, a mid point between Mitzvah Days or a one off, it’s a way to be a part of this gargantuan Coronation weekend and a way to really make a difference.
Laura Marks OBE is founder of Mitzvah Day, chair of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and an interfaith consultant – (commongood.uk.com)
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