Sadiq Khan packs kosher food kits with City Hall faith staff for Mitzvah Day

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, joined members of City Hall’s Jewish, Muslim and Christian staff networks this week to mark Mitzvah Day, helping pack kosher recipe kits destined for Jewish communities across the capital.

The volunteer session, held on Wednesday at City Hall and supported by the Mayor’s Fund for London, saw staff assemble food boxes made from surplus ingredients. The parcels were then dispatched by e-bike to Charedi and other Jewish households in need, as part of what has become the UK’s largest faith-led day of social action.

Speaking after the event, the Mayor said it had been “a real privilege” to join colleagues in marking Mitzvah Day’s 20th year.

“I was proud to stand alongside our Jewish, Muslim, and Christian staff packing recipe boxes using surplus food, helping to support Londoners facing food insecurity,” he said. “At a time when divisions are rising across the world, coming together in the spirit of community to celebrate our shared values has never been more important, as we build a better London for everyone.”

Laura Marks CBE, founder and chair of Mitzvah Day, praised the collaboration at City Hall, calling it “a joy and a privilege” to take part.

“We recognise the essential need to support people who have insufficient food and Mitzvah Day encourages people of all faiths and backgrounds to do this together,” she said. Marks also thanked the volunteers and noted the Mayor’s consistent support for the initiative, alongside Deputy Mayor for Communities and Social Justice Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard.

This Sunday’s Mitzvah Day marks two decades of the annual initiative, which brings together tens of thousands of volunteers from across the UK’s faith and community groups to undertake local, practical acts of kindness.