Volunteer Opportunities
mitz·vah
Noun, plural mitz·vot: a good deed
Performing at least one mitzvah a day is core to our Jewish values. Doing good is what Jewish for Good is all about. Be part of the good doing and have fun, make new friends, and have an incredible impact on the lives of people across three counties while you do it!
We have plenty of volunteer opportunities to fit your interests and skill sets. Check out all opportunities in the drop-down boxes below. Then, when you find something(s) that you feel excited about, click the button to begin your volunteer process.
Jewish for Good is located in Durham, NC and and serves the Durham, Orange, and Chatham County community.
B'nai Mitzvah Projects for 'Tweens and Teens
Are you a B’nai Mitzvah student looking for a service project? We have a variety of options for you ranging from doing visits with older adults, running a volunteer project during Mitzvah Day, cooking or baking, and lots of things in between! Complete this short form to get in touch!
Family Mitzvah Fair
Want to do good with your family, teach your children Jewish values, and meet other like-minded families? Join us for our Family Mitzvah Fair! Take part in multiple kid-friendly volunteer projects that help animals, people in need, and the environment, and come together for stories and songs to help kids understand how they can help make the world a better place. Designed for families with a child ages 3-6 along with younger and older siblings. You do not need to be Jewish, a member at the J, or PJ Library family to participate. Check our Events Calendar for our upcoming Family Mitzvah Fairs.
Holiday Volunteering
Hanukkah Sponsor-a-Family
Bring joy and light this Hanukkah to a Jewish family in need! Sign up to participate in our Sponsor-a-Family program. You will be assigned to a family anonymously, buy their presents, and drop them off at the Levin JCC before Hanukkah. Suggested amount per family is $100-$200, but less is just fine too! Don’t have time to do the shopping? We can do it for you after your donation. Support on your own or have your friends participate with you! This is a wonderful volunteer opportunity to do with your family or chavurah.
Contact Jenny to get involved.
Jewish Holiday Gift Bag Program
Help us pack and deliver festive bags for Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah, and Passover.
Many thanks to our 2022 cookie baking volunteers! Check out some example of our Hanukkah bags here and here.
Mitzvah Day
Each year on December 25th our community comes together to do good together for the larger Durham-Chapel Hill area. Over 550 volunteers complete service projects for over 20 organizations. This is an incredible family-friendly event for all! Service projects include everything from park clean-ups to preparing food, and making blankets for those experiencing homelessness to delivering diapers.
Find out all of the details about Mitzvah Day by clicking here!
Passover Cooking and Delivery
Help us cook and deliver Passover food bags to those in need in the community.
Rosh Hashanah Baking and Delivery
Help us bake and deliver Rosh Hashanah food bags to those in need in the community.
Year-Round Volunteer Opportunities
Clerical and Administrative Support
Volunteers are occasionally needed to help make phone calls, stuff envelopes and packets, write thank you notes, file and shred at yearend, and help in the dozens of other little ways that are so important to make our organization run smoothly.
COMMITTEE ENGAGEMENT
We are a complex organizations with many programs and services. This means we also have countless opportunities for people to join different committees, sub-committees, working groups, or task forces. Let us know what your areas of expertise and interests are, and we’ll match you with the perfect fit.
Food Pantry Donation and Deliveries and more
Each month our Food Pantry provides critical items to local families in need. To continue to make this service happen, we rely on donations and support in various ways. Volunteers can help us collect food, sort and bag food, and aid in pick-ups and deliveries. Don’t have time to give? That’s okay! We always need the following most commonly-requested food items and hygiene products, which can be dropped off in the Weiss Family Lobby of the Levin JCC any time during business hours:
canned tuna or chicken
dried pasta
pasta sauce
peanut butter
canned or dried beans
canned vegetables and soup
travel-sized shampoos, conditioners, and body soap
bar soap
toilet paper
mouthwash
toothpaste
paper grocery bags
FACILITIES
Part of what makes our facilities so amazing is how well-cared for it is! Throughout the year we are always looking for helpers who love to clean and organize. Want to lend a hand with our green spaces outdoors? Join us at key times for planting, upkeep, and preparing for winter.
FUNDRAISING
Did you know that philanthropy makes up 1/3 of our annual operating budget? We rely on generous donors to support the good we do each and every day and are always looking for volunteers to help engage folks in this type of support. Everything from preparing mailings to sending thank you notes to assisting with solicitations to coordinating programs or special events are all ways volunteers can help us practice our stewardship with our donors.
HEALTH & WELLNESS CENTER MEMBER ENGAGEMENT
We’ve been voted, for three consecutive years, best gym in Durham County, because of the warmth and welcoming nature of our community. Volunteers help foster that vibe in small groups to call and welcome new members and answer their questions. Give tours at open houses. Assemble membership packets and promotional materials.
J CAFé COOKING CLUB and MORE
Food is an enormous part of Jewish culture and may even be Jewish folks’ love language! Because of that, we always have ongoing weekly challah and babka sorting, labeling, and bagging volunteer opportunities. Our Cooking Club meets approximately every other month to prepare and serve lunch for our Chaverim program. They also cook/prepare food and assemble and distribute holiday gift bags to older adults in our community, often for special events or holidays. For large community-wide events like our annual Hanukkah Fest or Jewish Food Festival, volunteers can assist in making all of bubbe’s favorites. These are great ways to meet new people and give back to the community.
SENIOR OUTREACH
Ensuring older adults in our community are well-connected and cared for is key to our mission. There are many ongoing volunteer opportunities that help ensure this happens.
Friendly Visitors and Callers
Volunteers spend 2-4 hours a month helping run errands or visiting with a senior or homebound person in our community. Volunteers spend time going for a walk, talking about books, or exploring common interests.
Shabbat Outreach
Do you have an hour to spare? Do a mitzvah and volunteer for our Shabbat Outreach program. Shabbat Outreach volunteers lead a short Shabbat service on Friday afternoons for Jewish residents of local long-term care facilities. We provide the challah, juice, service booklets, and other materials. All you bring is yourself! Sign up for as many Fridays as you’d like.
Program Support
We offer a number of core programs that provide opportunities for older adults to engage with one another, from Chaverim to Memory Care Programs. Join us by securing sponsorships for these programs, assisting with set-up and take-down, and being present to schmooze with our participants.
TRANSPORTATION
Getting people to programs and getting supplies and materials to participants is always something we need volunteers for. Have a car? Insured? Help us drop things off and pick folks up as needed.
Contact me!
Madeline Seltman, Chief Programs Officer
Direct: 919-354-4938
Email: mseltman@jewishforgood.org