Volunteers Rake Leaves for 50 Older Adults

About 400 volunteers turned out Sunday in Southfield for Jewish Family Service of Metro Detroit's 30th annual Fall Fix Up.

Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Judaism

Volunteers Rake Leaves for 50 Older Adults

Live Poll

Should communities do more to help older residents with home upkeep?

About 400 volunteers gathered Sunday at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield for the 30th annual Fall Fix Up hosted by Jewish Family Service of Metro Detroit. Volunteers were sent to 50 homes to rake leaves and help winterize properties.

Why it matters

The event addresses a need among older adults who may struggle to maintain their homes through the fall season. The organization began the effort on the premise that if one person needed help, many others likely did as well.

The effort marked 30 years since Jewish Family Service of Metro Detroit started the program in 1996. Volunteers were armed with rakes and leaf blowers to complete work at 50 homes.

The players

Jewish Family Service of Metro Detroit

A Jewish social services organization that has run the Fall Fix Up volunteer program since 1996 to help older adults maintain their homes.

Congregation Shaarey Zedek

A Southfield synagogue that served as the gathering site for volunteers at the start of this year's Fall Fix Up.

The details

Volunteers spent the day raking leaves and helping winterize homes for older adults across the metro Detroit area. The Cherney family was among participants, spending part of Sunday winterizing a home in Oak Park.

1996: Jewish Family Service of Metro Detroit starts the Fall Fix Up.
Sunday, November 1, 2026: About 400 volunteers gather at Congregation Shaarey Zedek for the 30th annual event.

Roadmap

Now in its 30th year, the Fall Fix Up has grown into a fixture of Jewish community service in metro Detroit, extending a model that began in 1996. The anniversary underscores how a single congregational volunteer day can become a sustained, multi-decade response to older adults' seasonal home-maintenance needs.

Southfield residents and older adults in the metro Detroit area may benefit from the program's free seasonal home-maintenance help. Volunteer participation offers a practical way for community members to contribute to neighbors' home care each fall.

The takeaway

A single volunteer day, repeated for three decades, can become a dependable support system for older neighbors facing seasonal home upkeep. Community members looking to help can consider joining similar local efforts before winter arrives.