We know our virtual Mitzvah Day will give us an opportunity, in our own small way, to help repair the world and build a sacred community. Our simple acts of kindness will hopefully inspire others to do the same and soon there will be sparks of hope everywhere.

Prior to May 3, you will receive information (via email) about our virtual Mitzvah Day plans, which are self-guided! You can do these mitzvot individually or with family, on Mitzvah Day or any time.

You will find information on how to lend support during COVID-19. Specifically, we will be including ways to help our:

• Medical community: Support of meals for Stamford Hospital staff and contributions to the Stamford Health Foundation.

• Jewish community: Support for Schoke Jewish Family Service’s Coping with Coronavirus Emergency Fund.

• Temple Sinai community: Support for home-bound or vulnerable congregants who need prescriptions/medicines, meals or groceries.

• Organizations helping the larger community: Support for organizations helping hundreds of clients, like BuildingOne Community, Inspirica and New Covenant House.

• Local businesses: Ideas to keep businesses and their employees afloat.

• It will also include how you can support families and people you know and love, through mitzvot that remind us to:

• Respect our elders: Bring cheer and perform acts of kindness through the gift of song, letters of hope, etc.

• Support our neighbors: Ease neighbors fears by arranging a scavenger hunt or creating a make-shift food bank for families.

• Show acts of loving kindness: Create kindness rocks to brighten someone’s day, letters of gratitude to practice five days of kindness.

• Engage in study and education: Read or share stories that convey Jewish culture and values and ways to use writing as a tool to process our new reality.

• Honor our civic duty: Complete and remind others to complete the 2020 census.

In the words of Mr. Rogers, “When I was a boy and I’d see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”