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Mitzvah Day 2026

One community. A whole lot of good. Come together for Mitzvah Day.

More ways to help. A place for you.

We’ve expanded our most popular Mitzvah Day volunteer projects, so there’s more room to join in. Find a project that fits your interests, then sign up to do good side by side. You’re welcome, you’re needed, and you have something meaningful to contribute.

Choose your project below and sign up.

Special Thank You to our Congregation Emanu El Social Action Committee Members:
Alicia Kahn, Brooke Reichek, Evyn Rudin, Lee Bar-Eli, Leah Madof, Michelle Eber, Melissa Carson, Scott Bormaster

Mitzvah Day starts with you—donate before November 22

Before our volunteers can sort, organize, and bundle donations on Mitzvah Day, we need your help collecting them. Your gifts of dry pet food, gently used books, and gently used shoes provide the supplies that make these projects possible.

Choose an item from the list below and bring your donation to the North Lobby through Mitzvah Day on November 22.

  • Dry pet food for aniMeals on Wheels
    Help our furry friends, too! Donate dry pet food for volunteers to sort and organize on Mitzvah Day.
  • Gently used books for Books Between Kids
    Clear a shelf, share a story. Donate gently used books to help put a great read in a child’s hands.
  • Gently used shoes for the Emergency Aid Coalition
    Give shoes you’ve outgrown or no longer wear a second life. Volunteers will sort and bundle donated shoes on Mitzvah Day.

Every donation helps supply a project. Whether or not you can join us on November 22, you can help make Mitzvah Day possible.

Mitzvah Day Breakfast & Kick-Off

Start the day together! Join fellow volunteers for breakfast beginning at 7:45 a.m., followed by a brief kickoff celebration with our clergy team at 8:00 a.m.

Project start times vary. Check your project’s listing below to plan your arrival.

We’d love to see you at breakfast and the kickoff, even if your project begins later. Can’t join us for breakfast? You’re still welcome to participate—just arrive at your project’s scheduled start time.

Volunteer Projects

Mitzvah Makers (Teens ages 15 and Older)

Bring your friends and your energy. Take on hands-on projects where you lead, build, and make an impact. Service hours available!

Little hands, big hearts (Families with Young Children, 5+)

Kid-friendly projects where the whole family can pitch in. Little ones learn that everyone can make a difference, and you can make memories along the way!

  • Feeding the Lonestar, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: 40 spots
    Project descriptions (offsite): Help prepare and deliver fresh, nutritious meals to individuals and families facing food insecurity. Register for this project.
  • Hermann Park, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: 25 spots
    Project descriptions (offsite): Help the staff at Hermann Park get ready for spring by collecting native seeds and planting. Supplies will be provided by Hermann Park. Register for this project.
  • Undies for Everyone, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. 50 spots
    Project description (onsite): Help us roll 5,040 pairs of new underwear for over 700 Houston-area children living in poverty or crisis. Register for this project

Next Level Family Service (Families with Older Children, ages 13 and older)

Your teens are ready for real responsibility, and this is your chance to do it together as a family. Great for service hours and even better for quality time!

  • Houston Botanic Garden, 9:00–11:00 a.m.: 20 spots
    Project description (offsite): Seeking volunteers who love the outdoors to assist with various beautification projects around the garden. Register for this project
  • Community of Resources (COR) Houston, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: 12 spots
    Project description (offsite): Volunteers will pack food, hygiene, and/or cleaning supplies packs which will be distributed to HISD Title 1 schools. Register for this project.
  • The Orange Show, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: 15 spots
    Project description (offsite): If you love Houston, chances are you love The Orange Show monument! We are looking for 15 volunteers to help do conservation work on the monument. Register for this project.
  • Emergency Aid Coalition, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: 15 spots
    Project description (offsite): Sorting and more! Volunteers will help to sort, size, hang, and box clothing donations. Register for this project.
  • Hermann Park, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: 25 spots
    Project description (offsite): Prune plants to get them ready for new blooms! Register for this project.
  • Interfaith Ministries (aniMeals on Wheels program), 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.:60 spots
    Project descriptions (onsite): Volunteers will work on three projects: 1. Sorting and repackaging donated dry pet food 2. Creating pet toys out of old denim 3. Packing breakfast bag for seniors. Register for this project.
  • Books Between Kids, 9:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m.: 10 spots
    Project Descriptions: Volunteers will help to sort and organize donated books. An important task! Register for this project.

Together We Can (All Ages)

Grandparents, parents, teens, and kids working alongside each other. These projects are designed so everyone has a role, and every generation has something to teach and something to learn.

  • Houston Food Bank, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: 50 spots
    Project description (offsite): Volunteers in the 1st shift will be in the Warehouse prep & pack area to help organize and sort donated items. Register for this project.
  • Friends of Columbia Tap Trail, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: 15 spots
    Project description (offsite): Calling all green thumbs! Volunteers will to plant donated trees. Register for this project.
  • Kids’ Meals, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: 40 spots
    Project description (onsite): Join us as we prepare 1,500 sack lunches to support Kids’ Meals as they work to end child hunger in Houston. Register for this project.

Congregation Emanu El Sisterhood

  • Jewish Family Services (JFS), 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: 50 spots
    Project Description (onsite): Members of Congregation Emanu El Sisterhood will create Shabbat boxes to benefit clients of the Jewish Family Services. Once the boxes are completed, volunteers will decorate them! Register for this project.