Columbia, SC (WLTX) - On Sunday, for hundreds of people in Columbia, helping the world took just one thing, a Mitzvah.
"Today is Mitzvah day in the Columbia Jewish Community," said Shelley Kriegshaber, President of the Columbia Jewish Federation.
"Mitzvah, in Hebrew, means commandment," Kriegshaber explained. "But it's come to mean a good deed or an act of human kindness."
More than 300 members of the Jewish community took time to volunteer for the Columbia Jewish Federation on Sunday.
"I'm heading to the Ronald McDonald house where we're going to fix a meal for the people staying there," said Kriegshaber.
Volunteers of all ages spread out to six different Midlands locations helping the needy, cleaning up parks and even creating Shalom art.
"It's our way of reaching out as a community, coming together as a community," explained Lyssa Harvey, creator of South Carolina Shalom Art.
"They are painting a mural that will be given away to children's homes, homeless shelters and group homes for adults or children with special needs."
These good deeds will travel as far as Israel as volunteers not only give back but share as well.
"They're sharing beauty and they're sharing hope and good feelings," Harvey explained. "The word Shalom means 'peace' and so they're sharing peace."
Organizers hope to make Mitzvah Day an annual event.