Building on the success of last year’s Jewish Social Action Network volunteer day, where volunteers from seven area Jewish congregations worked together on a community service project, JSAN is again sponsoring a volunteer day in 2012.

It takes place on Tuesday, Aug. 7 and is a benefit for the work of Kidsmart, an area non-profit that provides teachers in St. Louis area schools with basic school supplies for low-income students.  Volunteers will sign up to work one of two three-hour shifts (noon to 3 p.m. or 3 to 6 p.m.). Those in the first shift will be organizing supplies for the Kidsmart store.  Those in the second shift will be assisting teachers who come in to “shop” at the store for their low-income students.  There is a particular need for second shift volunteers. Volunteers must be age 11 or older to participate.

“There are more than 90,000 students in the region who cannot afford basisc school supplies,” said Hallie Huber, Social Action Chair at Temple Emanuel and a member of JSAN. She is co-chairing the event with Louise Levine of Temple Israel.  “We thought it would be particularly meaningful and timely to volunteer for an organization that helps schoolchildren start the school year right by providing them with basic supplies,” Huber added.

JSAN is a collaboration of St. Louis area Jewish congregations, which encourages members to engage in social action programming and coordinates community-wide social action projects.  It also provides a forum for the sharing of educational and advocacy information among congregations.  

JSAN is coordinated by the Jewish Community Relations Council and its Bohm Social Justice Initiative. Space is limited and RSVPs are required.  For more information and to RSVP, contact Gail Wechsler at 314-442-3894 or [email protected].