It’s that time of year and Mitzvah Day 2013 is just around the corner.  The Times Series and Mitzvah Day are partnering together with a new, meaningful and enjoyable borough-wide challenge that invites readers to sign up to visit one of the many residential care homes in our borough on November 17, Mitzvah Day.

We salute the numerous volunteers in Barnet already engaging with our older residents as well as the hundreds of individuals of all ages and faiths who for the past eight years have participated in Mitzvah Day’s ‘Sunshine to Seniors’ initiative. 

With at least 82 care homes across the borough, however, we need to widen that net galvanising more people to participate and play their part in bringing a little joy to our most forgotten, lonely and vulnerable members of our local communities. 

Residential care homes and senior day-centres provide dedicated staff but they are increasingly stretched and therefore rely heavily on volunteers to add to the health and well-being of the elderly, whose needs would just not be met without them.

Laura Marks, founder and director of Mitzvah Day said: "Thankfully Mitzvah Day’s ‘Sunshine to Seniors’ lives up to its name – and what it achieves with equal measure is to bring sunshine to those who volunteer and participate in numerous ways, returning year in and year out.

"On this Jewish-led day of social action and giving, laughter and smiles overflow from older people and participants alike.

“Spending time, doing enjoyable activities and simply sharing experiences is inter-generational interaction at its best. The lives we all lead are so busy but donating just an hour or so of your time to visit really does make a difference not just for that hour but in immeasurable other ways.”

The Times Series and Mitzvah Day would like this year to be ‘Sunshine to Seniors’ most impactful year yet, which is why with just five weeks away we can’t afford to rest on our laurels and we challenge each and every one of you to play your part in making your local community around you a more inclusive, considerate and better one. 

Sign up today to do your Sunshine to Seniors Challenge on November 15 to 17. 

Visit the Mitzvah Day website here or email eve@mitzvahday.org.uk

And please remember to email the Times series with your planned projects, past stories, and photos so your experience can inspire other volunteers to connect with the elderly in our borough. 

If the Sunshine to Seniors challenge isn’t for you this year, visit Mitzvah Day’s website for other Mitzvah Day ideas – there’s plenty to go around!