Like you and the entire world, for the past several months we’ve balanced COVID worries, economic downturns and social unrest with hope and with the desire to do something meaningful.  

Though our many JCC Cares volunteers have hunkered at home away from the Merage JCC and away from our numerous nonprofit partners, we have remained busy. We’ve been reaching out, and staying connected in a number of ways: collecting hundreds of masks, filling our food drive canisters with groceries, providing homecooked meals to shelters, and writing letters to the many heroes in our community. Thank you to all who have reached out and helped in this great time of need.

How You Can Help!
Of course, we are not done. Below you’ll find what is the latest on JCC Cares' list of how we are reaching out. We invite you to plug in where you can.

In this post, I’m going to share how you can virtually support a range of causes as well as giving back in your own community during this scary and uncertain time.

• Connect with a senior. Reminding seniors they are special goes a long way. Email artwork, letters, cards or photos to [email protected] or mail to Heritage Pointe at 27356 Bellogente, Mission Viejo, CA 92691.
• Assemble Care Kits for homeless individuals. Your family can make a Care Kit (or a few), collecting items below in a Ziploc bag and including a card or handwritten note of encouragement. 
  chapstick • travel-size sunscreen • deodorant • playing cards • journal • pen • salty snack (chips, pretzels, trail mix, jerky) • sweet treat (not chocolate to avoid melting) • $10 gift card to Walmart, Walgreens, or CVS
• Write a letter to a hero. Check out dearhero.org for tons of templates and ways to send letters to various heroes.
• Blaze it Forward.  Blaze It Forward is a local movement encouraging our community to show kindness on a daily basis. It can be as simple as a wave and a heartfelt smile or picking up litter on the beach.
• Make someone’s day with a surprising act of kindness. Paint rocks and place them around your community for other people to find. Chalk inspiring messages on your sidewalk.
• Become an organ donor. Designate that you’re a donor on your driver’s license and share your wishes with your family. https://donatelifecalifornia.org/
• Host a neighborhood food drive. Your family can organize a drive to help feed local families. Drop-off non-perishable food items curbside at the JCC, March 16, 1- 5 pm.
• Shop for good. It doesn’t get much simpler than swapping your regular Amazon browser for AmazonSmile. When using AmazonSmile 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products gets donated to the charity of your choice. To select the Merage JCC as the recipient of your AmazonSmile shopping, search for Jewish Community Center of Orange County.
• Register to donate blood with the American Red Cross at the JCC on June 8
• Knitting for others. Do you love to knit? Knit a blanket for babies in the NICU. 
• Learn how to recycle properly. Recycling is important, but it can be complicated. What can and can’t go in your curbside bin? Find out how and where!
• Make paracord “survival” bracelets for troops and first responders. Not only do these bracelets look cool, they can actually be used to save a life in an emergency situation. Operation Gratitude includes them in their care packages.
• Connect homeless and community members to nonprofit resources they need desperately. 2-1-1 Orange County connects the vulnerable with the health and human resources they need when they need it most. They are looking for volunteers to work the phone lines from home. www.211oc.org 

JCC Cares is balancing staying safe and healthy and supporting our many nonprofits partners and our community. As mandates and directives change, we will work with our partners to respond accordingly. We’re just figuring out how!

Now, more than ever, we’re all in it together!

Nancy & Adrienne, JCC Cares co-founders
and the JCC Cares Team

JCC Cares
Embracing the Jewish value of tikkun olam, repairing the world, JCC Cares develops and executes over 100 volunteer projects every year. Events are developed by volunteers for volunteers with nonprofit partners and impact throughout Orange County. Young and old, from 2 to 92 years of age, families and individuals, are making a difference in the community with JCC Cares. For more information and to volunteer, visit JCC Cares.