posted March 25, 2020

   All Agudas Achim Good Deeds Day activities have been cancelled. The Social Action Committee plans to reschedule at least the Yachad event for the summer.

   Now it is time to direct compassion to do good to making financial donations to organizations that help those most impacted by this crisis; reaching out to congregants and others to offer supprt; and maintaining social distance to reduce the impact of the virus on our community.

Financial Donations Needed for Food and Housing

In Alexandria, please consider a financial donation to ALIVE!.

Other organizations that have been supported by our community and continue to have great need include:

• Capital Area Food Bank
• Arlington Food Assistance Center
• Carpenter's Shelter
• United Community (serving a range of needs along the Route 1 corridor)
• Pathways to Housing DC (serving the homeless on the streets of DC)

Donations of food are not being accepted at this time.

Blood donations needed
The Red Cross faces a severe blood shortage due to an unprecedented number of blood drive cancellations during the novel coronavirus pandemic. Mount Olivet United Methodist Church, 1500 N. Glebe Road, is holding a blood drive March 31-April 1, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Call 1-800- 733-2767 to make an appointment. The Red Cross assures that extraordinary measures will be taken to ensure the safety of the donors, blood, staff, facility and volunteers. All donors will be prescreened when they enter the building, then proceed to history booths in a separate room, and then to the donor room in the main hall. Walk-ins may not be accepted, but that might change.

NOTE: April 1 is the last day a blood donor may give blood and still be eligible to donate at the Agudas Achim Blood Drive on May 27.

Virtual Good Deeds Day
Jewish Federation of Greater Washington has cancelled Good Deeds Day events and invites participants to a Virtual Good Deeds Day.

Suggestions of local initiatives to support should be sent to Social Action Committee Chair Katherine Allen or Barbara Elkin.

Care for Community Volunteers Needed in Alexandria

Volunteer Alexandria is looking for healthy adults and teens who can help with various food distribution programs, particularly for children  

Blood Drive at AAC

Wednesday, May 27

There is no substitute for blood. It can only come from one place and that's a volunteer blood donor. Especially at this time, we are planning to partner again with INOVA Blood Donor Services to conduct our annual blood drive for the Beverley Hills/Northridge/Del Ray (and beyond) areas. We are working on confirming details  to keep all donors and staff as safe as possible in this time of
social distancing, whether or not the AAC building is open or closed on that date.

The drive will use INOVA’s bloodmobile, which will be located in the synagogue’s south parking lot.

Potential donors at our blood drive may not give blood after April 1 (leaving the minimum amount of time, 56 days, between blood donations).

If you’re interested in donating blood, register at Inova Blood Donor Services at 1-866-256-6372; enter sponsor code 0723.

For information about the drive, contact Elizabeth Margosches and watch for updates in the AAC Weekly Update.

   Want to help organize or inspire the rest of us to broaden our work? Join our meetings.

Committee Meetings | 7 p.m.

April 9, 2020
May 14, 2020
June 11, 2020

   We packed nearly 20,000 meals in just a few hours with our partners at Alfred Street Baptist Church. To see photos of the event, click here.

   We're in the Washington Jewish Week. Click here to see the article.

For a list of ongoing projects and partners, click here.