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Pouring rain and blustery wind didn’t stop nearly 600 people from participating in Mitzvah Day on Monday, organized by the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto.
Volunteers got involved with 24 projects (two were cancelled due to rain), preparing and serving dinner for 225 Shelter Network residents, making 120 blankets for critically ill children through Project Linus, making 75 fleece scarves for St. Anthony’s Padua Clothing Pantry, and harvesting 900 pounds of fruit from private homes and gardens with Village Harvest, according to Jane-Rachel Schonbrun, adult program manager who managed the Mitzvah Day program.
Other projects involved planting trees at the 49ers Academy in East Palo Alto and collecting children’s books for underserved students.
Nine projects were located on the OFJCC campus, but the others were spread around San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
“Even with the terrible weather, there was high energy in this great multi-generational event. Mitzvah Day unites people from across the community and it has an enormous impact,” Schonbrun said.
By Carol Blitzer