Pnina Souid
“I realized, I needed to start an organization so I could get more hesed done,” said the founder of the Mitzvah Man Organization. So, he took out a small ad in Community Magazine, announcing that volunteers were needed. It listed volunteer job possibilities.
During the first three weeks, calls came in asking if it was true that we would really offer rides to doctors’ appointments or do errands for the sick and elderly – for free. Yes! The callers responded, “Hazak u’baruch!” All the callers wanted to verify the validity of the advertisement. They couldn’t believe that someone would dedicate their time, sometimes for many hours, to doing various hesed activities. What this legit?
Please, I told the callers, I need something to do!
But no one was calling to volunteer. No one was calling requesting hesed, either. I was spending money for the ads without seeing results. I wondered if maybe I should stop trying. Maybe I should go back to being an organization of one. Then, I remembered something that I had read about the yetzer hara. If you are working on a worthwhile project the yetzer hara will put thoughts into your head that very well might cause you to change your mind.
That was it. I was not going to let the yetzer hara win. If I would get one call to help a person in need it would be worth it.
The Ball Gets Rolling
That’s all it took. The calls started coming in both asking for help and offering to volunteer. The first calls to volunteer came from people whose families I helped before. They would say, “You gave my aunt a ride to the doctor. I want to give rides to doctors.” “You put tefillin on my grandfather. I want to do that for someone else.” “You pushed my brother in his wheelchair on Ocean Parkway so that he could enjoy the fresh air. I want to be a companion for someone.”
The first month 40 volunteers signed up. So many more people could be helped! And after that another 20 volunteers a month signed on, and another 40 a month until we had 500 volunteers in the first six months.
I created a one-page form for volunteers to complete. Each volunteer was interviewed, and some I interviewed personally. I explained to potential volunteers that there is no obligation to accept a volunteer assignment. If they were needed, they would receive a text message. If they are able to volunteer, they would text me back for instructions.
Every hesed request came to my cell phone and I would, in turn text the volunteers. This became overwhelming as I was single-handedly managing everything.
Administrative Help Recruited
The first person I hired was assigned to make follow-up calls to the volunteers and the recipients. He sent me a daily email to keep me abreast of exactly what happened.
I continued answering every incoming call to know just what was happening. However, I became so busy that I realized I needed to hire a dispatcher. The dispatcher would text the volunteers. I would send the hesed call to the dispatcher and email the dispatcher with instructions for the volunteers.
We continued to be extremely busy. My computer whiz son-in-law created a program that listed all the volunteers and separated them into different groups, (driving, shopping, cooking, going to a shiva house, etc.). We messaged volunteers according to their specific group.
Calls started coming from low-income families or Holocaust survivors, for basics such as a washing machine, refrigerator, air-conditioner, or clothes for the holidays. I had to fundraise just to pay our few employees, but if there was anything in the account left that would cover the requests for material things, the caller would be asked to fill out a request form and would receive what they needed. A Board of Directors was recruited. They handle the financial decisions. Another employee was hired to take care of the financial paperwork.
We help 10,000-12,000 families a year. Over the last 13 years, the Mitzvah Man Organization has grown from one man who wanted to help people to 3,800 volunteers!
Message from the Mitzvah Man
We all have challenges in life. That’s the yetzer hara sidetracking us, telling us we are foolish. If we beat our yetzer hara that’s a hesed from Hashem.
You don’t have to start an organization. Use your skills and the gifts that Hashem gave you. You can read to a blind person or take a person on errands who does not have a car. If you play a musical instrument, go play for a patient in the hospital. If you have money, be generous with it.