Every month during 2012, nine major faith communities hosted a day of volunteering in communities across the country and invited people of other faiths, and those without religious beliefs, to join in.

Mitzvah Day is pleased to support this initiative and encourages communities to take part throughout the year.

What's it all about?

A Year of Service highlights the voluntary service that people of faith carry out in their local communities, and forges links between volunteers.

Each Day of Volunteering coincides with a religious festival or existing volunteering day and each focuses on a particular kind of social action (e.g. feeding the hungry).

Each faith community in turn promotes its own day or days in neighbourhoods and businesses, and invites people from other faiths or without religious beliefs to join in. Projects also gave people from different backgrounds a chance to mark the Diamond Jubilee together, and there was a national celebration in November. A Year of Service is an initiative sponsored by the Government.

How is Mitzvah Day involved?

The Jewish-led Day of Volunteering for A Year of Service was Mitzvah Day on the 18th November.  Mitzvah Day also encourages and supports the Jewish community to participate in and set up projects for other Days of Volunteering throughout the year.

Take a look at the Year of Service calendar of Volunteering Days to see exactly what has gone on.