More than 600 volunteers participate locally on Good Deeds Day

An international day of volunteering, Good Deeds Day, came to Pittsburgh Sunday, March 10.

Sponsored locally by the Jewish Federation Volunteer Center, the event was modeled on the Center’s Mitzvah Day, which engaged more than 700 volunteers on a single day in December.

More than 600 people volunteered on Good Deeds Day, performing a wide range of tasks at sites throughout the Pittsburgh area.

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Originally launched in Israel in 2007, Good Deeds Day attracted 7,000 volunteers that first year.  Last year the event attracted more than 250,000 participants and encompassed some 3,600 projects in Israel alone; tens of thousands more participated in 50 countries across the world.

“It’s incredibly gratifying to join in this worldwide celebration of volunteering,” said Judi Kanal, chair of the Jewish Federation Volunteer Center.  “For years the Federation has sponsored Mitzvah Day, and the number of volunteers has grown tremendously over that time.  It’s so exciting to be part of something so much bigger than ourselves.”

Good Deeds Day was underwritten this year by Giant Eagle and Huntington Bank, and the KIND bar corporation donated KIND bars.

In conjunction with Good Deeds Day, the Volunteer Center collected new and unused winter clothing items — gloves, boots, scarves, hats, coats, etc. — for the Children’s Village in Karmiel/Misgav, our partner region in Israel in the Partnership2Gether project.  

The Jewish Federation Volunteer Center provides a network of opportunities year-round to connect volunteers to the organizations and people that need them. Contact Jessie Svec at JSvec@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5229 for more information about the Center.