JFS Outreach & Programs Manager Dina Stambler, MSW, is the lead organizer of JFS Good Deeds Day on Sunday, May 1. We talked to her to learn more about Good Deeds Day and what to expect this year.

What do you do to make Good Deeds Day happen?

I work closely with JFS staff members to coordinate the volunteer projects with different nonprofits in Wake County. Our goal is to come up with a variety of volunteer projects that are family-friendly, and of different interests to our wider community. We try to highlight different non-profit organizations that are doing important work in the community and have short-term volunteer opportunities.

I also work with the area synagogues to get them involved, helping ensure that Good Deeds Day is a community-wide event. Tracy Jacobsen, the JFS volunteer coordinator, and I work closely together to recruit participants and volunteers to help make the day run smoothly.

What can people expect when they come to Good Deeds Day at the campus?

There will be activities taking place on Campus beginning at 10:00am with a Campus Clean-up and a Women’s Philanthropy activity. At 2:30pm the self-paced stations will begin on the Lower Courts. All the different volunteer opportunities are listed on our website. The projects and organizations are set up at stations. People who come will learn about different issues facing the community. You will go to the station, learn about the impact of the nonprofit, and be able to do a hands-on project.

We want to promote volunteerism, so we look at different nonprofits that are making a difference in Wake County and have opportunities for volunteer involvement. For example, Habitat for Humanity is focused on housing insecurity. Adults and older teens can help build a home at their site in Apex. At the campus, younger kids can make a “baffle” that’s used for insulation in the home. They can paint it with well wishes for the family that will live in the home.

Our goal is to speak to volunteerism, and show different ways you can volunteer in our county. We will have stations for our JFS, JCRC, PJ Library but also organizations from the wider community.

How does Good Deeds Day 2022 compare with years past?

We are really excited about the activities on Campus. In the past, families could pick from projects from all over the county. There wasn’t an opportunity to come together. We want to use our beautiful campus and be able to have this time to gather as a community. There are projects going on all day throughout the county, but the self-paced projects, beginning at 2:30 p.m. at the campus allow families who are coming to check out multiple nonprofits at the same event. You can have a social experience and see friends, so it will really feel like a community event. Families can stay at one station the whole time, or visit several of the stations.

We have also added two more blood drives to Good Deeds Day. In addition to the annual blood drive at Beth Meyer Synagogue, Beth Shalom and Chabad of Cary will also be hosting blood drives.

Why does JFS participate in Good Deeds Day?

Good Deeds Day is a global movement based in Israel, and we are connected to that. The day is designed to provide opportunity and inspiration to all who believe that we have the power to create positive change in the world. We’ve been participating since 2013. This is an opportunity to showcase that we are part of a larger community. The Jewish community plays a role in supporting others, and there is so much we can benefit from and help with.

Why is it important for you to get people to volunteer?

It has a lot to do with engagement. When you feel that you are making a difference and that people are counting on you to show up, it makes you feel counted and connected. For a family, it shows their children that we are all connected. This is an opportunity for us to do our part to make a difference, even if it’s just writing a card to a child that’s moving into their first home. When we volunteer, it increases the power of community and makes us believe in our community. When we see each other face to face, it can inspire us to do more than we may had thought possible.

What is something that you would like people to know about volunteering?

Most volunteers will tell you that they get more out of volunteering than the people that they are helping. The giving of your time, talent and resources can be transformative. People go into it thinking, “What do I have to give?” But most volunteers continue because it makes them feel good and they get so much from their relationships with fellow volunteers and the organizations they are helping. When you find an opportunity you love, it’s not a drain on your time or resources. It fulfills you and gives you energy and can add joy and purpose to your life. We have many JFS volunteers who have been involved for a long time and truly love it. We hope that having a variety of organizations at Good Deeds Day will help people see all that is out there and ignite a love of volunteering.

Are there any specific things that you would like the community to donate for Good Deeds Day?

Before coming to Good Deeds Day on Sunday, May 1st, please take a moment to check your closets, bookshelves, and pantries for any of the items that our partner organizations are accepting:

Green Chair Project is collecting cleaning items for “healthy home kits,” new pillows in packaging and twin-size bedding, see wish list.
Jewish Family Services is accepting non-perishable food for the JFS Food Pantry, see wish list.
Note in the Pocket is accepting new and gently used clothing in pre-school through adult sizes, see wish list.
WAKE Up and Read is collecting new and gently used children’s books (pre-school – middle school), see wish list.

These organizations will be represented on the Lower Courts of the David R. Kahn Community Campus from 2:30 – 4:30 on Good Deeds Day.

Learn More About Good Deeds Day with Dina Stambler