Good Deeds Day, an international event that was born in Israel and then spread to more than 100 countries, is coming to Milwaukee.
Good Deeds Day started in Israel with just 7,000 volunteers in 2007. In recent years, the annual Good Deeds Day has attracted around 4 million volunteers annually, often working on community-improvement projects with no specific relationship to Judaism or the Jewish state.
This year, for the first time, a trio of local Jewish organizations is sponsoring Good Deeds Day in Milwaukee. You are invited to participate in the day, on April 6, 2025, with Tikkun Ha-Ir of Milwaukee, the local Jewish Community Relations Council of Milwaukee Jewish Federation, and the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center.
Several other organizations are also involved, and organizers view the day as the beginning of an annual tradition that could someday include many more local organizations.
Local organizers have scheduled the annual Passover Food Drive Distribution to coincide with Good Deeds Day, on April 6. Volunteers will be able to start their day with food distribution, enjoy a free community lunch for anyone who volunteers, then volunteer for an afternoon activity.
This builds on the annual Passover Food Drive Distribution to create an all-day activity. Sami Stein Avner, executive director at Tikkun Ha-Ir of Milwaukee, said you can choose to volunteer for just part of the day, and the day’s events are open to ages 3 and up.
Afternoon activities will include crafting at an assisted living facility and preparing meals for food-insecure individuals, among other activities. Most activities will be at the JCC, but some will be elsewhere in the community, said Sarah DeNeve, Volunteer Hub Coordinator for the JCC.
Trump administration cuts in January filtered down to the local Good Deeds Day effort, removing some expected funding, organizers said. It happened fast: A funding agency sent local Good Deeds Day organizers an email, notifying them that they were approved for what’s known as a Days of Service grant, to support community volunteer efforts. But the next day, instead of following up with a contract to be signed, the funder told them a federal order had just frozen the funding. And with that, $20,000 for Milwaukee’s Good Deeds Day was gone.
“It was going to cover lunch and T-shirts, on top of activities, all the supplies and marketing,” Avner said, in addition to financial assistance for the Passover Food Drive. She hopes to make up for the loss with private donations, but no matter what, Good Deeds Day will go on, she said.
“We are hoping there will be a lot of enthusiasm,” Avner said.
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Good Deeds Day
- April 6, 2025 – do good deeds with community in Milwaukee!
- Register to participate: JccMilwaukee.org/program/good-deeds-day
- More info: Good-deeds-day.org
Contact: Sarah DeNeve, JCC volunteer hub coordinator, at sdeneve@jccmilwaukee.org
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