On May 3, 55 volunteers from Temple Beth Sholom in Hamden took part in the congregation’s very first Mitzvah Day, as they fanned out to five different local sites to help out at a variety of chores. At Locket’s Meadow Farm in Bethany, which rescues animals, including many horses, the volunteer group helped to repair and clean the paddock and pitch hay needed for the animals; at Boulder Knoll Farms in Cheshire, a farm that donates produce to the CT Food Bank, volunteers repaired the deer fence and prepared the soil for planting in a special section of the vegetable garden; at New Reach/Careways Shelter in New Haven, which serves as a safe haven for women and children, volunteers installed shelving. Temple Beth Sholom’s Rabbi Benjamin Scolnic accompanied volunteers to Tower One/Tower East, an assisted living facility in New Haven, where they interviewed 30 residents as part of a genealogy project. And, a fifth group of volunteers created a vegetable garden on the Temple Beth Sholom property. Everything harvested from the garden will be donated to those in need.

CAP: Temple Beth Sholom volunteer Hannah Epstein at Boulder Knolls Farm.