Dozens of Jewish groups nationwide are glorifying the name of Hashem by volunteering to help the needy on the holiday season.

AP reports of hundreds of volunteers from the Washington, D.C. Jewish Community Center be working in the community on X-mas Day in the district, Maryland and Virginia — preparing food for the homeless, hosting parties at shelters, serving meals, wrapping gifts and visiting senior citizens.

In Baltimore, CBS affiliate reports, hundreds of volunteers pack the JCC local center in what is called ‘Mitzvah Day’ – by putting together 1500 winter care packages for the homeless full of toiletries, bottled water, toothpaste, gloves, socks and even homemade scarves. The winter care packages are loaded into vans and then delivered to Baltimore homeless shelters and soup kitchens.

“Mitzvah Day is a program of the Jewish Volunteer Connection that gets over a thousand people at the Park Heights JCC, the Owings Mills JCC and various locations throughout the community to volunteer and give a day of service,” Micah Damareck, co-chair of Mitzvah Day, told CBS/WJZ. “We have about 300 or 400 people at this location, the JCC Park Heights, loading gift bags to be delivered throughout Baltimore City. They will go to various locations that need help.”

“A mitzvah is doing a good deed, doing something for someone else besides yourself; it’s giving back,” he added.

“It’s another way for us to have our faith in action,.not just faith in words but to go out and serve people,” said Je Devance, Mitzvah Day volunteer.

In Jacksonville, Florida, FOX affiliate reported of more than 60 Jewish volunteer drivers that showed up to pick up 420 meals, delivering them to seniors. After the meals are delivered, the volunteers delivered more than 5,000 sweets to fire stations and police sub-stations around Jacksonville.

Wiatt Bowers of The Congregation Ahavath Chesed board of trustees, who helped organize the event this year, told WTEV that the Jewish community in Jacksonville enjoys volunteering on the Christian holiday to honor the bond the two religions share.

“Judaism talks about acts of love and kindness; it doesn’t differentiate religion. But the interesting thing is this gives us an opportunity on X-mas Day that allows the regular workers to be at home with their families,” said Bowers.

Bowers told Action News all the meals cost about $1,200. The food is paid for partially by Aging True and the other part would come from the synagogue’s social action.

“It’s good to have people that care about people, and that’s what this world is about,” said Florence Coleman, a Meals on Wheels recipient.

(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN)