At iSparkleEvents, our core belief is that the Mitzvah is the most important part of our 13-year-olds transformation into becoming an adult. With that, we have identified lots and lots of opportunities to do Mitzvot from home to help those in need during this Covid-19 crisis. Our goal is to connect our mitzvah kids with opportunities to offer service and support. With that, here is a list of ideas to help you get started.
CONTRIBUTE TO A LOCAL LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN
A letter-writing campaign is underway for healthcare workers at the Frederick Health Hospital. Letters of appreciation, pictures, thank you's, inspirational notes, or any other pick-me-ups would be greatly appreciated by the doctors, nurses, and other hospital workers who are putting in long hours under challenging conditions.
Letters should be posted to:
Frederick Health Hospital Attention: Kelsey Shupe, Director of Communications 400 West 7th Street Frederick, MD 21701
The hospital is sharing the letters virtually, but if they have a good response, they will put out a real basket of letters at the staff entrance so workers can grab one on their way in and out.
CREATE MASKS AND OTHER PPE
If you have masks or other forms of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), you can donate them to healthcare workers and hospitals in need. Many local stores also have provided instructions on how to make and donate cloth face masks. CLICK HERE for more information about how to help in these efforts. https://www.washingtonian.com/2020/03/23/heres-how-you-can-get-face-masks-to-healthcare-workers/
DONATE AND DELIVER FOOD
1. Many restaurants are providing food for health care workers. The meals need to be delivered. Hospitals and agencies are set up to receive meals on a NO CONTACT basis, so everyone’s health is protected. For example, www.feedthefight.org works to coordinate donations and food deliveries to hospitals and medical centers.
2. Bethesda Cares accepts non-perishable food donations delivered to its main Bethesda offices. Contact justin@bethesdacares.org. 3. Montgomery Housing Partnership, which provides affordable housing to those in need, has a great need for food, especially for seniors and those that have recently lost their jobs. Contact Robert Goldman at rgoldman@mhpartners.org to help with this effort.
DONATE BLOOD
Blood banks are running low on blood and platelets. Typically, you must be 17 years old to donate blood, but in cases of rare and limited blood types, donations can be taken with a guardian’s permission. Click here for more information. https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/find-drive
FOSTER AN ANIMAL
While animal shelters are closed, they look for foster families to take animals for a month to six weeks. One local fostering organization is https://kninerescue.com/
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Ali Weitzman is a luxury event planner from Washington, D.C. specializing in the Bar and Bat Mitzvah market. She also runs the startup logo design firm, MitzvahLogos.com. Click here to learn more about Ali and her past events.