When you think of Martin Luther King Jr., what is the first thing you think of? Civil rights activist? Preacher? Powerful speaker? Who doesn’t get inspired by his “I have a dream” speech so eloquently and passionately given at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC? His approach in the fight for civil rights rallied millions around the country to the cause with a definitive peaceful approach to protesting. In January of 1986, the very first Martin Luther King Jr Day became an official holiday in the US. The idea was to honor the man by performing acts of service around your local community. JFS Margate wants to help you achieve this with their MLK Day of Service.
MLK Day of Service at JFS Margate
Local schools and government offices stay closed on Monday, January 15th in observance of Martin Luther King Jr Day. If you want to spend the day in a meaningful way, consider signing up for the MLK Day of Service at the AC Jewish Family Services Center. They offer six different activities to choose from.
Toiletry Kit Donations – One of the things local shelters and food pantries find they receive requests for the most are basic toiletry kits. Toothpaste. Toothbrushes. Shampoo. Soap. Grab some travel-sized options of these and bring them to the JFS offices at 607 N Jerome Ave in Margate. Volunteers use these donations to assemble toiletry kits that then get distributed to various locations around the community.
Meal Prep – Our food pantries run low this time of year. Churches and other organizations try to help keep food-insecure individuals fed by preparing warm meals to eat. Help JFS put together On-the-Go bags of prepared meals to hand out to the community.
Trash Cleanup – It’s amazing how much trash builds up along our streets and parking lots. On Monday, JFS sets their sites on cleaning up the lot located between the JFS offices and the JCC building.
Toy Cleanup – JFS provides several different services to the community. Inevitably, children factor into the equation. Whether for therapy or fun, toys become an important part of children’s time at the facility. As expected, these toys get dirty. On Monday, JFS needs volunteers to help clean and disinfect these toys to keep children safe while handling them.
Homemade Card Creation – Another way to provide a fun service is to create and color a nice homemade card. These cards are then added to the meal kits as a nice greeting and reminder to the receiver that their situation does diminish their value. Consider these nice warm hugs to go along with a nice meal.
Shredding – Now how does this fit in with “serving”? Well, it helps keep important personal information safe and out of the hands of potential identity thieves. Additionally, the tiny bits of paper then get recycled. And you know how important I believe recycling is for our environment. Plus, it’s a fun way to relieve some stress.
If you wish to participate in any of these MLK Day of Service activities at JFS Margate, email Julia Tracy at the JFS offices.
Sherri Lilienfeld, Apex Prime Realty, Your Source for Jersey Shore Real Estate