Phil Friday: Volunteerism is the Heart of Our Community

Growing up, my family taught me the importance of volunteering my time. I saw my parents take leadership roles in the Jewish community with our synagogue, Hadassah, Federation. I remember every year helping families with holiday shopping just after Thanksgiving. From that I learned that the only way to build a welcoming and empowering community for everyone is if everyone is involved in making it happen.

Here in Greater Raleigh, I have been so impressed by the deep involvement and dedication of our many volunteers. From board and committee leadership, to friendly visits with older adults, to the caravan of drivers who show up every month to deliver meals from our food pantry.

Did you know that . . .

• JFS and its wonderful volunteers helped distribute over 12 thousand pounds of food to our community facing food insecurity since January this year? This equates to over 9 thousand meals provided!

• JFS Volunteers have devoted over 190 hours of their time supporting isolated older adults through our visiting and outreach programming so far in 2023?

• We have volunteers who over the last few years have donated 100+, 200+, and 300+ hours of their time helping to make this community stronger, greater together?

There are so many great benefits from volunteering. According to the American Psychological Association, volunteering is associated with an increased sense of belonging, decrease in feelings of loneliness, and with living longer!

If you are interested the Federation is always looking for volunteers to help us with delivering mitzvah meals, friendly visiting, event planning, and more! Belonging and feeling connected are what the Jewish Federation is all about, and there are so many ways to be involved. For more information on volunteer opportunities, contact Volunteer Coordinator Tracy Jacobsen at tracy.jacobsen@shalomraleigh.org.

Please join me in thanking all our great volunteers!

Best, Phil