Mitzvah-in-a-Minute

Put a smile on someone's face. And yours.

Mitzvah-in-a-Minute (MIM) is a program that provides community service opportunities for NCJW/Essex members and others to help women, children, and families in need of assistance in our region. Volunteers can choose to chair a Mitzvah-in-a-Minute or volunteer for a one- or two-hour event.

MIMs occur throughout the year, and cover a wide variety of issues: hunger and food insecurity, homelessness, and bringing cheer to children, among others. Local agencies or organizations in need are chosen as beneficiaries of a MIM.

Our next Mitzvah-in-a-Minute, planned for February 2025, will address food insecurity. Check out our Events page for more information.

For more information on MIMs, please call (973) 740-0588 or email ncjw@donation.tovah.org

Read about Recent Mitzvahs-in-a -Minute

Spring Cleaning for a Cause
Community Market
May 2025

Nearly 50 people came to the NCJW/Essex office on May 13 with boxes and bags to fill a bus with donations for the Spring Community Market sponsored by the Forest Street Community School in Orange. It was a great way to support one of our Kids Essentials Closet (KEC) schools. All donations were available free of charge at their market helped brighten the summer months for all the families who participated. A special thank you to the Essex County Department of Transportation for the generous donation of their time and, of course, the bus!

Passover Care Packages
for College Students
March 2025

Ahead of Passover, a group of NCJW/Essex volunteers gathered to assemble Care Packages for college students at the six campuses served by Hillel of Greater MetroWest NJ. They packed holiday staples including matzah, macaroons, matzah ball mix, soup and much more. We even tucked in some fun "plague masks", a hagaddah and a few frogs in every bag. Staff from Hillel shared updates about Jewish life on campus, how it has changed over the past year, what Hillel is doing to build community among Jewish students and tackling antisemitism.

Hunger on College Campuses<br
February 2025

Our February Mitzvah-in-a-Minute addressed the epidemic of hunger on college campuses in a small way as volunteers purchased, donated, packed and delivered "snack bags" to the Red Hawk Pantry on the campus of Montclair State University. We learned from Pantry Director and MSU graduate student Katie Griggs that hunger and food insecurity on college campuses compromises academic performance, mental health and physical well-being, hindering the overall college experience and increasing the risk of dropouts. The MSU pantry served nearly 3000 visitors last semester.

We are collecting gently-used handbags and totes and will fill them with treats both practical and pampering for our clients who are seeking work. Dig deep in your closet as you are spring cleaning and drop off any bags at the NCJW/Essex office by May 3. Patty Kremen, Director of the Center for Women, will join us to share more about the work she and her team do in support of women who are entering or re-entering the workforce. The CFW has served a record number of clients this year, and continues to provide career counseling, empowerment training and more.

Click here to sign up!

The Covenant House Newark Shelter provides immediate housing and care for more than 800 youths ages 18-21 every year. Homeless and trafficked youth suffer disproportionately from trauma, sexual and physical abuse, involvement in the foster care system, domestic violence, mental health challenges, and life on the street. Our March Mitzvah-in-a-Minute is an opportunity to provide much needed bath, grooming, clothing and other items for residents at the Newark Shelter. We will also be providing small gift bags to residents with our hand-written notes of encouragement and support. Click here to read more about the event.

Food insecurity affects approximately 40 percent of college students. Our January Mitzvah-in-a-Minute hosted a collection for the Red Hawk Food Pantry on the campus of Montclair State University. Our volunteers sorted, counted and weighed donations before delivering them to the pantry. Thanks to the generosity of NCJW/Essex members and friends, we were able to provide nearly 2000 individual food items and almost 800 personal care and household items. Together it was 800 pounds of donations! Read more here.

Read more about our 2022 Diaper Drive in support of National Diaper Need Awareness Week, with donations going to the Community FoodBank of NJ and the Interfaith Food Pantry of the Oranges.

Read more about our Fall Food Drive and how we put together lunch bags for Christine’s Kitchen in West Orange and our own CFW clients.

Read more about our Holiday Toy Drive and Gift Wrap for clients of the Focus Hispanic Center for Community Development and our own Center for Women. NCJW/Essex was happy to partner with LTownCares and Coldwell Banker Realty to provide holiday gifts.

The recent Mitzvah-in-a-Minute Book Drive was a big success! We collected over 300 books for Alex’s Book Club Cart, an annual book drive that collects new books for Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center’s Pediatric floors.

Alex’s Book Cart was established to honor the memory and legacy of Alex who passed away in 2018 at age 11. Alex “was an amazing boy who was filled with joy and happiness” and one of his favorite things was books. The new books will be added to the book cart in the Pediatric Unit and the Pediatric ICU of the Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center. During their hospital stay, children and teens will receive books that they can use during their stay and then take home. It is the hope that this will provide some comfort during their hospital stay.

Thank you to everyone who participated for your generous support.