Hundreds of volunteers of all ages came together through Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County’s Kohl Jewish Volunteer Center (Kohl JVC) for the ninth annual 8 Days, 8 Ways of Giving, a season-long initiative that focused around meaningful acts of service, kindness, and generosity.
The effort — which highlights the Jewish values of tzedakah (charitable giving), ha’achalat re’evim (feeding the hungry), g’milut chasadim (acts of loving kindness), tikun olam (repairing the world), and more — offered both in-person and at-home volunteer opportunities throughout the holiday season.
Community members came together in impressive numbers to make a lasting impact throughout the Palm Beaches. Highlights included:
• Thanksgiving Food Drive: More than 200 frozen turkeys and hundreds of pounds of non-perishable food items were donated, helping ensure local families enjoyed hearty holiday meals. Kohl JVC enhanced the impact through a matching turkey challenge, doubling every donation. Mandel JCC’s J-Teen initiative and Meyer Prep’s National Junior Honor Society also each donated 75 bags of non-perishable food.
• Thanksgiving Family Mitzvah Project: Nearly 100 volunteers packaged 70 bags of Thanksgiving food as part of this family-friendly giving event, Birds for Baskets, supported by partners including Temple Israel, Temple Beth El, PJ Library, and Place of Hope. Volunteers were also able to experience the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Mobile Museum of Tolerance.
• Holiday Meal Packing & Delivery: In partnership with The Kind Kitchen of Palm Beach, volunteers packed and delivered thousands of festive meals to homebound seniors, individuals, and families in need throughout Hanukkah, concluding with a celebratory latke-themed gathering.
• Gr8 Hanukkah Wrap: Nearly 50 volunteers wrapped more than 150 gifts and donated over 600 children’s books to benefit Alpert Jewish Family Service’s Mentoring 4 Kids program.
• Bike Collection Drive: Dozens of bikes, scooters, and helmets were donated and refurbished with community partner Jack the Bike Man to bring joy and mobility to students, immigrant families, and others in need. The effort was amplified by Kohl JVC Committee member Steven Pike and his community initiative with the Tuscany Bay Men’s Club in Boynton Beach.
• Waterway Cleanup: Volunteers participated in a paddleboard waterway clean-up in Jupiter, removing hundreds of pieces of debris to protect local waterways in partnership with Blueline Surf & Paddle Co. and 4Ocean.
• Literacy Outreach: Through a new partnership with the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County’s Read With Me! program, more than 20 volunteers shared books and reading time with kindergarten students across local schools.
In addition to in-person service, 8 Days, 8 Ways of Giving offered multiple at-home ways to contribute. These included:
1. Volunteers delivered fresh-baked and store-bought treats and meals on Thanksgiving and Christmas to first responders, hospital staff, and local shelters.
2. In partnership with The HeARTful Hub, volunteers of all ages prepared cheerful, hand-illustrated cards created by young local artist and Kohl JVC volunteer Ayel. Decorated cards were shared with seniors, children, families in need, and even IDF soldiers to spread holiday cheer.
3. Thirty-five new moms are wrapping their babies with warmth and comfort this holiday season thanks to volunteers including Isabel Berg’s knitting group and those at Temple Judea who created hand-knitted and crocheted blankets that were distributed by our partners at the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Palm Beach County.
4. Local young women and men will receive the gift of feeling their best at their spring prom thanks to the more than 25 dresses and suits plus accessories donated to the Royal Palms of St. Lucie to stock their annual Prom Towne’s free shopping experience.
5. Breakfast boost packs were assembled and delivered to The Soup Kitchen in Boynton Beach and Common Ground Church in Lake Worth. A special thank you to Moishe House for donating 25 packs for these organizations to distribute.
6. Dozens of gently worn Bar and Bat Mitzvah sweatshirts were donated to The Lord’s Place to help and support those who are currently unhoused.
7. Families throughout the community donated gently worn school uniforms and sneakers to partners at Tree of Life Resource Center, GraceWay Village, and Caridad Center.
8. Baby essentials, including diapers and formula, to support families in need were donated to the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Palm Beach County.
To learn more about volunteer opportunities with Kohl JVC, visit jewishpb.org/volunteer, email [email protected], or call 561.242.6680.
