You can help make a difference in our community during this year’s High Holy Days at Stephen Wise Temple with our Center for Tikkun Olam. Here’s how:

Volunteer Collective’s Interfaith Layer Up Warm Clothing Drive

Sept. 15-25 | Stephen Wise Temple

Start saving up your family’s gently-used winter clothes!

This High Holy Day season, Wise is joining faith groups across the city in hosting donation boxes to collect new and gently used warm clothing during the Interfaith Layer Up Drive.

Kids can’t effectively study or learn when they’re cold. And, shockingly, students and families in numerous LAUSD districts lack adequate heating and enough warm clothing to fend off the winter chill.

During this High Holy Day season, you can make a difference. From Sept. 15 (Erev Rosh Hashanah) to Sept. 25 (Yom Kippur), you will be able to donate new or gently-used warm winter clothing in a special bin on the Wise campus.

New and gently used items needed (for kids, parents, and younger siblings):

  • Long sleeve shirts
  • Long pants
  • Sweaters and jackets
  • Blankets
  • Scarves and hats
  • Shoes
  • Socks (new only)

Over the weekend of Oct. 14, volunteers will be invited to join in sorting and distributing items directly to recipients in Boyle Heights while sharing the camaraderie of working together and growing a stronger interfaith community.

At the first Layer Up clothing drive in 2021, Volunteer Collective set up 25 donation boxes around Los Angeles, benefitting 300 families at two Boyle Heights neighborhood schools. In just one week, the drive filled an entire cafeteria with mostly new clothes. This year, the goal is to serve families in every Boyle Heights school.

Join us in this tikkun olam project, and help keep families warm during the winter.

Special Family Tikkun Olam Project for Yom Kippur Day

Sept. 25 | 11:45 a.m. | Tyberg Learning Center

Join us in the Tyberg Learning Center where we’ll be assembling hygiene bags and making special wall decorations for families staying at the Hope the Mission Woodlands Shelter. We’ll also be sorting the clothing donations collected from our Layer Up Drive. Bring your own (Layer Up) clothing, gently used toys, and book donations when you come to assist with our project.

Homes for Heroes

Sept. 15-25 | Stephen Wise Temple | Donate

This High Holy Day season, help heal yourself and heal the world by making displaced veterans feel at home.

Thousands of L.A.’s homeless have served in our nation’s armed forces. Over the past several years, the generosity of the Wise community has helped hundreds of veterans feel at home in new, permanent housing after living on the streets. Through our work with Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), our Homes for Heroes initiative assists vets by providing new furniture, appliances, and amenities that truly make them feel at home.

Your donation of new home essentials like towels, microwaves, kitchen utensils, or furniture can make an enormous difference in the lives of those who bravely served our country.

You can donate funds, or you can buy the items listed here and deliver them to our offices. Together, we can make a difference!

Fires devastate the Hawaiian island of Maui in August of 2023.

Donating to Help Maui Fire Victims

Devastating fires swept across the Hawaiian island of Maui, wiping out the town of Lahaina and displacing thousands. As we are a congregation built around community, family, and tikkun olam, when we encounter those who need help, we say, “Hineinu”—”Here we are.”

How can you help those victimized by the fires on Maui? We’ve collected several ways for you to make a difference.

  • The Maui Strong Fund, organized by the Hawaii Community Foundation, will be used to support all communities affected by the Maui wildfires.
  • Maui Mutual Aid is a grassroots monetary fund, run by volunteers, distributing funds and support quickly to vulnerable residents in need. Donations can be sent HERE.
  • Maui United Way also has a disaster relief fund. You can dial 211 to speak with a live operator who will provide information for social needs.

The Jewish community on Maui, over 2,000 strong, is among those affected by the disaster. Here’s how you can help them:

  • The Jewish Federations of North America launched a Hawaii Wildfire Fund to bring the evacuees toiletries, first-aid kits, non-perishable foods, and baby supplies. You can donate HERE. Funds will be used not only in Maui, but to aid those fleeing to Honolulu where Jewish community organizations are working to support those in need.
  • The Jewish Congregation of Maui (JCM) and its grounds are safe, but many in the community have lost their homes, businesses, and loved ones. The congregation, Beit Shalom, is accepting donations through their website. You can get updates on their efforts by following Beit Shalom Maui on Facebook.
  • Maui Kosher Farm is feeding and hosting many misplaced locals and tourists. You can donate to help them, with all proceeds going to assist Jews affected by the fires.