Standing Together to Support the Wider Community
On Sunday, 23 November 2025, local Jews and Christians stood together to support the Runnymede Foodbank, part of Trussell, which provides emergency food and support to local people facing hardship. They did this to honour Mitzvah Day, the UK’s largest faith-led day of social action.
Volunteers from Weybridge-based North West Surrey Synagogue and Churches Together in Weybridge donated their time to collect food and essential items at Morrisons in Weybridge, whose support was greatly appreciated. They handed out shopping lists to customers as they went into the shop and collected their donations as shoppers left the stores. North West Surrey Synagogue members also donated food. In total, 54 crates of food & other goods were collected.
Liz Sawyer, the Synagogue’s Mitzvah Day Lead, commented, “I was absolutely delighted with the way our members of all ages embraced this initiative. It is so important that we all work together to support people in need in our local community regardless of their faith. It is uplifting to be developing relationships with Churches Together based on our shared values of chasadim (acts of kindness) and tzedek (justice).”
Donna Miller, from Churches Together in Weybridge group comprised of our six churches in the town commented, “In our country, no one should go hungry. However, families are facing food insecurity, and the number is increasing year on year. We are thrilled to partner with North West Surrey Synagogue and the Runnymede Foodbank on this important initiative to support our community.”
At the Synagogue, the Sunday School children also took part in their own Mitzvah Day activities.
Students brought in vast numbers of children’s and young adults’ books to be donated to children without books. The children wrote friendly messages inside each book for the next reader, saying what they loved about the book. They also donated toys which will be distributed to children in local hospitals and made care cards for the residents in Sam Beare Hospice.
