Members of North West Surrey Synagogue in Weybridge embraced Mitzvah Day last month by supporting the Runnymede Foodbank, which provides emergency food and support to those facing hardship.

Food and essential items were collected at both Waitrose and Morrisons in Weybridge, with synagogue members handing out shopping lists to customers as they went into the shops and then received their donations as shoppers left the stores.

North West Surrey Synagogue members also donated food and money.

In total, some 20 trollies of food and other goods were collected, as well as £150 raised in monetary donations. 

“We would like to say a huge thank you to Waitrose and Morrisons for their support,” said Liz, the synagogue’s Mitzvah Day lead.

“I was absolutely delighted with the way our synagogue members of all ages embraced this initiative.

“It is so important that we all work together to support people in need in our local community regardless of their faith.

“Mitzvah Day is the UK’s largest faith-led day of social action. We come together to give our time and to make a difference to the community around us.

“We introduce people to social action, to their neighbours and to local charities, setting up projects which address real needs. Jewish-led, we bring together people of all faiths and backgrounds, to volunteer side-by-side, building longstanding, genuine relationships.

“A Mitzvah is a commandment in Jewish law. However, it is often used to mean a good deed or an act of kindness,”

North West Surrey Synagogue, a registered charity, celebrated its 55th anniversary in 2023.

It has a membership of about 400 adults and 100 children across a wide area of Surrey and beyond, centred on its synagogue building in Weybridge.

For more information, visit www.nwss.org.uk